Willy Street Co-op
An integral part of your community
An integral part of your community
By Brendon Smith
In May of this year, Willy Street Co-op awarded $1,200 to the Madison Area Community
Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC) for their Kids Café program, which connects Madison’s
disadvantaged children with sustainable farming practices and healthy eating by purchasing a
share in, and visiting, a CSA farm.
“Access to fresh produce and supportive education on how to prepare and enjoy fresh food
is a critical link to improving community health by reaching children early to build strong healthy
eating habits,” said Kiera Mulvey of MACSAC. “MACSAC truly values our partnership with Willy
Street Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund as a means of bringing our whole community
together to increase access to and understanding of the health, environmental and social
benefits of locally produced food.”
The grant was one of 17 distributed by Willy Street Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund
(CRF), which has donated over $225,000 to local organizations over the last 17 years.
(Applications are due Feb. 28, 2010, for the next round of funding. If you know of a non-profit
that could use additional funding, see www.willystreet.coop/CRF for details.) But the CRF is only
one of the many ways in which Willy Street Co-op helps our community.
What is a Cooperative?
At first glance, Willy Street Co-op may look like other grocery stores in town (albeit one
with a particular emphasis on locally produced, natural and organic food), but cooperatives are
businesses owned and controlled by their members. In the case of consumer co-ops like Willy
Street, it means that customers who join become owners and have a voice in how the
organization is run and receive special benefits that other customers do not. The Co-op is
owned by over 16,000 people; these owners patronize the store and share in the benefits.
There are a variety of other co-ops in Madison: credit unions, grocery stores, a health care
cooperative and housing co-ops, as well as cooperative versions of a yoga studio, a pre-school,
a bookstore, a taxi service, a coffee roaster, a printer, a bakery and a pharmacy. If you’ve
lived in Wisconsin for a while, you may also be familiar with fuel, electrical or agricultural co-ops
(such as feed mills).
The Origins of Cooperatives
The modern cooperative model can be traced back to 1843 in Rochdale, England. There, 28
striking flannel weavers chose to bypass the overpriced company store and take control of their
food supply. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society was the first one to make its co-op work
and endure. To help others and to avoid the mistakes made by earlier co-op societies, they
formed a list of guidelines that is the foundation for what are now known as the cooperative
principles:
• Voluntary, Open Membership: Open to all without gender, social, racial, political or religious
discrimination.
• Democratic Member Control: One member, one vote.
• Member Economic Participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control,
the capital of the cooperative. The economic benefits of a cooperative operation are returned to
the members, reinvested in the co-op, or used to provide member services.
• Autonomy and Independence: Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations
In May of this year, Willy Street Co-op awarded $1,200 to the Madison Area Community
Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC) for their Kids Café program, which connects Madison’s
disadvantaged children with sustainable farming practices and healthy eating by purchasing a
share in, and visiting, a CSA farm.
“Access to fresh produce and supportive education on how to prepare and enjoy fresh food
is a critical link to improving community health by reaching children early to build strong healthy
eating habits,” said Kiera Mulvey of MACSAC. “MACSAC truly values our partnership with Willy
Street Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund as a means of bringing our whole community
together to increase access to and understanding of the health, environmental and social
benefits of locally produced food.”
The grant was one of 17 distributed by Willy Street Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund
(CRF), which has donated over $225,000 to local organizations over the last 17 years.
(Applications are due Feb. 28, 2010, for the next round of funding. If you know of a non-profit
that could use additional funding, see www.willystreet.coop/CRF for details.) But the CRF is only
one of the many ways in which Willy Street Co-op helps our community.
What is a Cooperative?
At first glance, Willy Street Co-op may look like other grocery stores in town (albeit one
with a particular emphasis on locally produced, natural and organic food), but cooperatives are
businesses owned and controlled by their members. In the case of consumer co-ops like Willy
Street, it means that customers who join become owners and have a voice in how the
organization is run and receive special benefits that other customers do not. The Co-op is
owned by over 16,000 people; these owners patronize the store and share in the benefits.
There are a variety of other co-ops in Madison: credit unions, grocery stores, a health care
cooperative and housing co-ops, as well as cooperative versions of a yoga studio, a pre-school,
a bookstore, a taxi service, a coffee roaster, a printer, a bakery and a pharmacy. If you’ve
lived in Wisconsin for a while, you may also be familiar with fuel, electrical or agricultural co-ops
(such as feed mills).
The Origins of Cooperatives
The modern cooperative model can be traced back to 1843 in Rochdale, England. There, 28
striking flannel weavers chose to bypass the overpriced company store and take control of their
food supply. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society was the first one to make its co-op work
and endure. To help others and to avoid the mistakes made by earlier co-op societies, they
formed a list of guidelines that is the foundation for what are now known as the cooperative
principles:
• Voluntary, Open Membership: Open to all without gender, social, racial, political or religious
discrimination.
• Democratic Member Control: One member, one vote.
• Member Economic Participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control,
the capital of the cooperative. The economic benefits of a cooperative operation are returned to
the members, reinvested in the co-op, or used to provide member services.
• Autonomy and Independence: Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations
controlled by their members.
• Education, Training and Information: Cooperatives provide education and training for members
so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the
general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
• Cooperation Among Cooperatives: Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and
strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, regional, national and
international structures.
• Concern for the Community: While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the
sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.
“Concern for Community”
This last principle is of particular interest to Willy Street Co-op. We work with many local food
producers, most closely with farmers who supply us with fruits and vegetables. Our produce
department manager meets with them each winter to work out which farm will sell us which kinds
of produce – this not only guarantees us a bounty of fresh, Wisconsin-grown produce; it also
guarantees the farmers a buyer. We are also committed to ensuring that vendors are paid a fair
price for their products, and that we can sell them for a fair price to our owners.
The Co-op contributes to many local non-profit organizations (over 80 in the last fiscal year)
and sponsors neighborhood festivals such as La Fête de Marquette and the Food for Thought
Festival.
Stop By and See Us Sometime
One of the most common questions that I’m asked about the Co-op is, “Do I have to be an
owner to shop?” You don’t, but there is a 10 percent surcharge for non-owners. An individual
membership is just $10 per year for seven years, or pay $58 one time and you’re a paid-in-full
owner of YOUR grocery co-op! (For those who qualify for certain financial assistance programs, it is
$4 per year until $56 is paid.) If you decide to end your membership, you can get back the
money you invested (minus a $2 payment for administrative fee, which is waived for the $4/year
option).
So stop by, check out our store, consider becoming a member and take charge of your food
supply!
• Education, Training and Information: Cooperatives provide education and training for members
so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the
general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
• Cooperation Among Cooperatives: Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and
strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, regional, national and
international structures.
• Concern for the Community: While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the
sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.
“Concern for Community”
This last principle is of particular interest to Willy Street Co-op. We work with many local food
producers, most closely with farmers who supply us with fruits and vegetables. Our produce
department manager meets with them each winter to work out which farm will sell us which kinds
of produce – this not only guarantees us a bounty of fresh, Wisconsin-grown produce; it also
guarantees the farmers a buyer. We are also committed to ensuring that vendors are paid a fair
price for their products, and that we can sell them for a fair price to our owners.
The Co-op contributes to many local non-profit organizations (over 80 in the last fiscal year)
and sponsors neighborhood festivals such as La Fête de Marquette and the Food for Thought
Festival.
Stop By and See Us Sometime
One of the most common questions that I’m asked about the Co-op is, “Do I have to be an
owner to shop?” You don’t, but there is a 10 percent surcharge for non-owners. An individual
membership is just $10 per year for seven years, or pay $58 one time and you’re a paid-in-full
owner of YOUR grocery co-op! (For those who qualify for certain financial assistance programs, it is
$4 per year until $56 is paid.) If you decide to end your membership, you can get back the
money you invested (minus a $2 payment for administrative fee, which is waived for the $4/year
option).
So stop by, check out our store, consider becoming a member and take charge of your food
supply!
(Top & above) Deli Corner; a
delicious fruit tart
delicious fruit tart
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