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In this edition:
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Co-ops for a Peaceful World!
On Saturday, July 4th, food co-ops rededicate ourselves to democracy here in the U.S. and join with other co-operatives in celebrating #CoopsDay around the world.
Celebrated for more than a century and officially proclaimed by the United Nations in 1995, International Co-ops Day is commemorated worldwide on the first Saturday of July, coinciding with Independence Day weekend in the U.S. and offering an opportunity to highlight the democratic values at the heart of our nation and the co-operative business model.
At a time when many parts of the world are experiencing conflict, social division, and rising inequalities, this year’s theme, Co-operatives for a Peaceful World, points to the historic commitment of our movement to more inclusive communities and a participatory economy that works for everyone. For example, the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) is a key partner in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets out a vision for all countries to work together to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
Peace is not only the absence of conflict. It’s also the presence of inclusion, trust, and collaboration — values that co-ops embody every day. And Sustainable Development Goal 16, Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions, calls for the promotion of sustainable development, access to justice for all, and effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. Through the principle of one member, one vote, co-operative businesses embody democracy, mutual self-help, and collective responsibility, contributing to more inclusive, participatory, and resilient communities.
Stop in at your local food co-op to learn more about the co-operative movement is people working together to build a more democratic, sustainable, and peaceful world for everyone!
You can help spread the word about Co-ops Day and Voter Registration Day: Share this article in your networks and join in the celebrations!
CCMA Awards
The Annual CCMA Food Co-op Conference is an important opportunity for our national movement to reflect, share ideas, and look forward — and to take some time to celebrate, together!
CCMA is the national annual conference for food co-op directors, management, staff, and sector partners. Organized by the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives with assistance from a planning committee comprised of co-op managers and board members, representatives from cooperative associations, development organizations, financial partners and other various allies, the gathering offers opportunities for networking as well as speakers, panels, and workshops. It is also a time for celebrating some of the individuals and co-ops that have made significant contributions to our movement.
This year, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is particularly excited to congratulate Portland Food Co-op (ME), which was honored with the Cooperative Excellence Award. We especially want to recognize General Manager John Crane for his leadership at the co-op, and his service on the NFCA board, including 3 years as President.
Opening in 2014, Portland Food Co-op is one of the more than 20 food co-ops that have opened their doors in the Northeast since the NFCA was formally launched in 2011. Now a new wave of start-ups is following close on their heels, with NFCA associate member Charles River Food Co-op (MA) receiving the Bill Gessner Start-Up of the Year award! Their progress, and the growth of all our start-ups, is fueled by their members and volunteers, and the spirit of mutual support and collaboration among food co-ops and other organizations in our region and across the country.
NFCA Director Jennifer Wahlquist, Membership & Outreach Coordinator at Blue Hill Co-op (ME), was in attendance and shared this take-away:
“CCMA gatherings get richer every year! Regardless of our location, we have so much more in common than not in the food co-op world. Collaboration, sharing concerns, and new innovation leads to our common success and growth. This growth will benefit our local economic watersheds and, in the process, support stronger communities relationally and economically.”
The conference also offered an opportunity for students, alumni, and representatives from the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University to meet up. Pictured here are Patty Smith from Willimantic Food Co-op (CT); Jennifer Wahlquist, Blue Hill Food Co-op (ME) & NFCA Board of Directors; Cathy Statz, ICCM; Learner Limbach, Littleton Food Co-op (NH); and Virginia Brown of NCBA CLUSA.
“As a Board member of a small, relatively rural co-op, I enjoy the wider view that CCMA provides to consider topics we have not explored, and to see what co-operative management can accomplish at scale and in urban areas,” said Christine Barney, Board President, Upper Valley Food Co-op (VT), who initiated a get-together of NFCA member co-ops at the conference. “This year brought the added bonus of speaking with fellow NFCA members in person for meals.”
Your Neighboring Food Co-ops are proud to be longtime sponsors of CCMA, and our Associate Director Suzette Snow-Cobb has served on the Planning Committee of this annual event. Do you know an individual or co-op that has made an outstanding contribution to our movement or has demonstrated excellence in innovation, resilience or growth? Nominate them for next year’s CCMA awards!
Mark your calendars now for the next CCMA Food Co-op Conference, hosted right in here in Northeast by GreenStar Co-op Market in Ithaca, NY, June 5-7, 2027!
Voter Registration Day is Coming!
On September 15th, community partners across the country will participate in National Voter Registration Day, making registration more visible, accessible, and even a little bit joyful. Will your co-op be joining them?
With midterm elections coming up this fall, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is proud to partner with National Voter Registration Day again this year, encouraging co-ops across the Northeast to participate in this nonpartisan civic holiday dedicated to celebrating our democracy. Taking place on September 15, community events will coincide with the UN International Day of Democracy — an opportunity to consider how we can promote the ideal of democracy as a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
Since its kickoff in 2012, National Voter Registration Day and thousands of community partners have worked to get over 6.5 million Americans registered to vote in time for their next trip to the ballot box. As businesses that are democratically governed by their members, co-operatives are uniquely positioned to support participation in our civic democracy.
“Across its fourteen-year history, National Voter Registration Day has always been nonpartisan. Registering to vote is about much more than any political parties or candidates. It is about access, opportunity, and making sure people can engage in civic life if they choose to do so,” said Chyann Sapp, Campaign Director of National Voter Registration Day. “We are building toward a future where National Voter Registration Day is not about first-time registration. It is about staying registered, updating your information after moves or life changes, and staying connected to our democracy.”
Each year, co-operatives, nonprofits, campuses, libraries, election offices, faith communities, businesses, and other organizations make National Voter Registration Day possible and set it apart as a truly national civic moment. For food co-ops, participation is an opportunity to engage staff and volunteers in community outreach, strengthen relationships with local organizations, and communicate the values that set them apart.
Among the co-ops signing up as a Community Partner again this year is Franklin Community Co-op in Greenfield and Shelburne Falls, MA and Flatbush Food Co-op in Brooklyn, NY, which will be hosting informational tables on September 15th. National Voter Registration Day will be providing information to help them prepare and free resources to help them spread the word. Recordings of recent presentations are available on their website, including “Communicating with Care, Clarity, & Compliance To Protect Your Organization and Community,” and “Protecting Your Mental Health While Doing Voter Engagement.” To register for a free webinar on August 12 on “Movement Building For 2026 Elections and Beyond,” and how to make the most out of National Voter Registration Day, please visit: allin.vote/NVRDWebinar.
Curious about your state’s guidelines for voter registration drives? For state-by-state rules and regulations, visit this LINK.
For more information on how your food co-op can become a National Voter Registration Day partner, please visit https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org. It’s easy — and when you do, you can receive free stickers and posters, customized resources, and assistance in planning your celebration of our democracy!
A Visit to Mondragón
In June, students from Saint Mary’s University and other leaders visited the Mondragón co-ops of the Basque Region of Spain to learn more about this innovative co-operative ecosystem.
For more than twenty years, the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University has offered co-op leaders the opportunity to develop the skills and experience to support business success within the context of our shared Co-operative Identity. A central aspect of its innovative Master of Management, Co-operatives & Credit Unions (MMCCU) program is the opportunity for students to learn firsthand from examples of successful co-operative complexes in other parts of the world.
As part of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) partnership with the Centre, Executive Director Erbin Crowell joined Professor Marcelo Vieto in leading a delegation of 25 students and other co-op leaders to visit the Mondragón co-operatives of the Basque Region of Spain in June. The tour, which included leaders from food co-ops, worker co-ops, housing co-ops, and insurance and financial service providers, as well as co-op developers, visited a range of co-operatives and organizations, and heard the perspectives of scholars and other observers on this world-renowned co-operative network.
“I first learned about Mondragón as a member of the worker co-op Equal Exchange,” said Crowell. “I found a few books in the library and was immediately inspired by its commitment to democracy and mutual self-help. It really was at that moment that I decided that I wanted a career in the co-operative movement.” Erbin later enrolled in the MMCCU program, focusing his final research project on what successful co-operative complexes such as Mondragón and Emilia Romagna in Italy have in common, and how this might be applied to the work of regional associations in the U.S. such as the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops and the NFCA. “What was most inspiring about this tour for me was being able to see Mondragón again through the eyes of our students and their own co-operative experiences.”
Emerging from the convergence of social movements and the leadership of Catholic Priest Don José Maria Arizmendiaretta, or Arizmendi, this model for participatory economic development has grown from a single worker co-op founded in 1956 to a secondary co-operative of more than 90 co-ops and 20 associated organizations generating more than €11.3 billion in revenue (about $12.9 billion).
Engaged in everything from high tech manufacturing to financial and insurance services, research and education to agriculture and retail grocery, Mondragón’s success has challenged assumptions about the ability of co-operative enterprises to achieve scale. Taken together, the system employs more than 70,000 people, about 30% of whom work in the Basque country. While best known for its commitment to worker-membership, about 20% of the co-ops in Mondragón are multistakeholder (having more than one type of member) with the grocery chain Eroski having more than 1.4 million consumer-members. Central to the success of Mondragón is the principle of interco-operation (similar to “co-operation among co-ops”), or individual co-ops working together through secondary structures to achieve scale and compete successfully, share resources and risk, and contribute to innovation.
From its base in the town of Arrasate, the tour visited a wide range of co-operative initiatives, from the co-operative schools of Ikastola Arizmendi to Mondragón University, high tech research and development firms to industrial manufacturers, assisted living co-operatives
“Studying Mondragón reveals how lasting impact is created when purpose and business strategy remain deeply aligned,” said Rebecca White, MMCCU candidate and Associate Director of Cooperative Identity at the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society (NH), reflecting on the tour. “Mondragón’s success isn’t simply the result of being a co-operative — it’s the result of decades of intentionally connecting business strategy with human development and community well-being.”
As part of our effort to make co-operative education more accessible across our region, the NFCA will be offering a free webinar on the tour to Mondragón and future opportunities for participation. Please e-mail us at info@nfca.coop for more information.
To learn more about the International Centre for Co-operative Management and future tours of co-operative ecosystems, please visit https://managementstudies.coop.
Peer Dialogs
The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) was founded by co-ops across the Northeast with the goal of providing opportunities for peer-to-peer networking, collaboration, and innovation supporting shared business success.
In June, the NFCA hosted a special session for co-op staff to learn more about two outstanding cheese producers from our region in collaboration with the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership (NOFFP). This peer dialog was attended by cheese buyers, marketing, and merchandizing staff and offered an opportunity to hear updates from NOFFP and learn how co-ops can continue to help increase the demand for organic dairy and have an impact on preserving dairy farming in our region.
The group heard from Melanie Webb, Cheese Maker and Co-Owner of Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield Vermont, and Molly Semler, Head Cheese Maker and Co-Owner of the von Trapp Farmstead located in Waitsfield, Vermont. Both presenters shared their farms’ histories, animal and land care, cheese-making practices, and what inspired them to produce their award-winning cheeses.
“I felt there was something about cheese making that reminded me of what I loved about the [photography] darkroom…that process when the cheese reveals itself, the curds and whey separate and you’re pulling wheels of cheese out. [Cheese making] resonated with me,” reflects Melanie Webb. “I’m taking this milk that came from my farm, putting it in the vat, creating this beautiful cheese, then eating and enjoying and sharing with people. It’s really powerful and I feel really passionate about all that.”
Participants had questions about distribution, seasonal availability and why being organic was important to them. Both von Trapp Farmstead and Stony Pond Farm cheeses have been featured in the NFCA’s Cave to Co-op program as well. You can read more about the featured cheeses and their farms on our Cave to Co-op page: https://nfca.coop/cavetoco-op
“I want to thank you all very much for caring about organic cheese. It’s actually really difficult,” said Molly Semler. “Typically, the cheese industry is not [easy]. Customers are not always looking for organic cheeses, so we do need it to be promoted.”
The recording of the session is available for viewing here: https://youtu.be/Tcy5z4DH6yY
The NFCA’s peer dialogs are organized based on feedback from our Member Co-ops on their needs and priorities. Other recent dialogs have included sessions with Senior Managers, Bulk Departments, Board of Directors, and sessions on the topic of Community and Staff Safety.
Upcoming sessions include:
NFCA Peer Dialog for Board Leaders
July 23 — 6:30-7:30 PM — Online
Planning for National Co-op Month
Aug 5 — 1:00-2:00 PM — Online
NFCA Peer Dialog for Senior Managers
Aug 12 — 12:00-1:00 PM — Online
NFCA Peer Dialog for Bulk Departments
Aug 20 — 3:00-4:00 PM — Online
NFCA Peer Dialog for Small Co-ops
Sept 3 — 3:00-4:00 PM — Online
Working together, the members of the NFCA are strengthening the community of co-operators across the Northeast, providing opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and shared business success. For more information on our Peer Dialogs, please e-mail info@nfca.coop or visit our online calendar for upcoming sessions.
Co-ops in the News
BDS vote takes products from coexistence-promoting foodmakers off NYC co-op’s shelves
The Times of Israel
Retail Meets Impact: Portland Food Co-op Receives Cooperative Excellence Award
Cooperative Maine Business Alliance
River Valley Co-op secures the land it calls home in Northampton
Daily Hampshire Gazette
Has your co-op been in the news recently? Send your item to info@nfca.coop.
July Cave-to-Co-op Special
This month’s Cave to Co-op cheese is Willoughby, Jasper Hill Farm, Greensboro, VT
Each month, your Neighboring Food Co-ops feature our region’s artisan cheesemakers by offering a specially selected cheese at great price. Look for the “Cave to Co-op” sign in the cheese section at your local food co-op. To find one near you, visit www.nfca.coop/members.
July marks the pinnacle of summer in Vermont, and what better season to feature Willoughby for our Cave to Co-op selection? Washed Willoughby is a semi-soft, washed rind cow’s milk cheese with notes of sweet earth, peach, and herbs. Its thin, tender, rosy-orange rind adds texture to the pudding-like interior.
Eight ounces of perfection need little attention other than peak summer fruits and vegetables to complement the cheese. Blackberries, strawberries, cherries, and blueberries, along with selected nuts like Marcona almonds, walnuts, or pistachios, couldn’t be better. A crusty French baguette, artisanal crostini, breadsticks, and/or a simple but elegant cracker will let Willoughby shine.
The Cellars at Jasper Hill is an innovative 22,000 square foot underground facility located in Greensboro, VT. The Cellars were constructed for the purpose of providing affinage, or aging expertise, as well as distribution and marketing services for local cheesemakers so that they may access the burgeoning market for artisan cheese nationwide.
Andy and Mateo Kehler are the cheesemakers at Jasper Hill Farm. The Kehlers began farming and making cheese with a goal of creating a model to be replicated by other farmers in Vermont who wished to diversify their quickly disappearing farms into more workable options. They wanted to demonstrate that it is still possible to prosper on a rocky hillside farm, creating a vehicle for the renewal of the local dairy economy in the form of a business model that can be replicated by other dairy farms.
“Willoughby” is an original creation of Marisa Mauro’s Ploughgate Creamery, a Cellars collaborator that ceased production of the cheese after a creamery fire in 2010. With Marisa’s blessing Jasper Hill resurrect this pudgy little washed-rind and have continued to develop the recipe.
Should you want a red, white, and blue Fourth of July theme, you’re in luck! Cherry tomatoes, watermelon, red grapes, radishes, dried cranberries, and beet chips give you an array of red fruits and vegetables. Tortilla chips, popcorn, baguette slices, large coconut flakes, white peaches, and yogurt-covered pretzels will complement your blueberries, while blue corn tortilla chips and dark purple grapes say, “Happy Fourth of July!”
Act For a Better Farm Bill
In May, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew issued the following statement reacting to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry’s discussion draft of the farm bill.
“We appreciate Chairman Boozman and the committee for their commitment to a bipartisan farm bill and their openness to continued negotiations. While the bill includes meaningful improvements, it needs to go further to meet the scale of the crisis facing family farmers and ranchers across this country.”
Learn More…
“What we need is a true safety net that moves away from ad hoc assistance, keeps pace with rising production costs and delivers real stability in the marketplace. That means strengthening and modernizing core farm programs to reflect today’s economic realities and withstand tomorrow’s shocks. It means building a dedicated structure and funding stream for disaster assistance that is fast, consistent and doesn’t require farmers to wait on Congress to act. These reforms would give farmers more predictable risk management tools, reduce uncertainty and end the cycle of repeated emergency interventions.
“We urge the committee to go further on priorities that matter to farmers and consumers: mandatory country-of-origin labeling for meat and poultry, year-round nationwide E15, local food procurement funding, and stronger Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement.
“If we don’t take decisive action now, we risk losing the next generation of farmers and ranchers. NFU will continue working with the committee and the full Congress to fight for the long-term, structural changes farm country deserves.” NFU last month sent a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee and congressional leadership outlining what’s at stake for family farmers and ranchers if Congress fails to reform the farm safety net.
Write to your Senators today and encourage them to fight for a stronger farm bill, one that improves the safety net for family farmers, stronger support for conservation programs, and full funding food security programs such as SNAP for people on limited incomes.
Join the Farmers Union! Whether you are a farmer or consumer, urban or rural, local business or food co-op, the Farmers Union is fighting for you — and you can join as a “Friend of the Farmer” for as little as $15! For more information, please visit www.newenglandfarmersunion.org.
