October is National Co-op Month, and your Neighboring Food Co-ops are joining other co-operatives and credit unions across the United States — and around the world — to celebrate!
This October, your Neighboring Food Co-ops are joining over 65,000 co-operatives and credit unions across the United States in celebrating Co-op Month, observed nationally since 1964. The theme for this year, “Co-operatives Build a Better World,” was chosen by the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) to echo the United Nations declaration of 2025 as the second International Year of Co-operatives and raise awareness of co-ops as a trusted, proven way to do business and build resilient, sustainable, and inclusive communities.
For example, a recent survey by the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) found that there are 60 food co-ops in New England and New York State, locally owned by about 290,000 members, generating estimated annual revenue of $625 million, and employing more than 3,300 people. These co-ops are engines of our regional economy, reporting an average of 30% of sales being local products. And food co-ops are not alone: from farmer co-ops to worker co-ops, credit unions to mutual insurance, and housing co-ops to energy co-ops, co-operative businesses thrive across the U.S. economy, where one in three people are co-op members.
“Co-operatives make a big difference in our local communities,” said Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of the NFCA and a member of the Board of Directors of NCBA. “But many people are surprised by how business model is recognized around the world.”
Around the world, 1 billion people are co-op members and 10% of the world’s population is employed by co-operatives. The United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Co-operatives acknowledges their contributions to the Sustainable Development Agenda and the urgent need to build a more inclusive, resilient, and global economy. Because they are governed by the people who use them to meet their needs, co-operatives are rooted in their communities, empowering them to create positive change.
“The International Year of Co-operatives 2025 is a time for both celebration and action,” said Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations (UN-DESA). “Co-operatives embody a model of enterprise and community where inclusion, empowerment, and societal resilience are just as valued as revenue and gain. Cooperatives have and will continue to be drivers of poverty eradication, women’s empowerment and social inclusion, while supporting full and productive employment and generating sustainable economic growth.”
Stop in at your local food co-op this October to learn more about what makes co-operatives different. And while you’re there, look for the “Go Co-op” signs on the shelves that identify co-op made products. You may be surprised by what you can find, including dairy products from Cabot Creamery Co-op and Organic Valley, fresh produce from Deep Root Organic Co-op, fairly traded coffee, tea, and chocolate from Equal Exchange, coffee from Dean’s Beans and Pachamama, wine and olive oil from La Riojana, seeds and bulbs from FEDCO, naturally fermented vegetables from Real Pickles Co-op — and many others! (For a list of additional co-op made products, visit our website.)
When you shop at your food co-op, you are working together with your neighbors to build a stronger local community and a better world for everyone. Of course, any time is a great time to stop in at your local food co-op and learn more about the difference that people are making in their communities through co-operation!
For more information on Co-op Month and to find a food co-op near you, visit https://nfca.coop.