April 1, 2026 | 9

That's a co-op??

Cooperatives are businesses that are owned by stakeholders (like employees, customers, or other membership group) and where major decisions are made democratically. Every member-owner gets one vote, regardless of how much they invested.

Co-ops can be for-profit, nonprofit, or not-for-profit (a non-charity that reinvests all its profits into the organization).

People often mistakenly think that co-ops are inefficient, outdated, and unprofitable. But co-ops can be as competitive as any other business. Here are some examples of big-name companies you may not know are cooperatives.

1. Ace Hardware

ACE is a retail co-op. Each independently-owned store pools resources to get wholesale discounts from suppliers, the benefits of marketing under one brand, and centralized training. Ace is not a worker co-op, so workers at the stores don’t share ownership or profits. Instead, individual store owners purchase a share in the national cooperative corporation and get a share of profits on a national level.

2. Ocean Spray

One of the leading brands of cranberry juice, Ocean Spray is an agricultural co-op owned by small cranberry farmers. It started when 3 farmers came together to sell value-added cranberry products and is now collectively owned by about 700 family farms.

3. Land O' Lakes

Land O’ Lakes is owned by both farmers and agricultural retailers, including over 500 crop farmers, 1,200 dairy farmers, and 800 retailers. When a co-op is owned by more than one group of stakeholders, it is a stakeholder co-op. Many of the member-owners are other cooperatives organizations.

4. Sunkist

Another agricultural co-op, Sunkist is owned by citrus growers in California and Arizona. Sunkist has been around since 1893.

Bonus: REI

You probably already know about this one because its co-op structure is part of its branding. A different type of retail cooperative than ACE, REI is owned by its customers. Customers can buy a lifetime share in the company for about $30. Member-owners get a share of the company's profits based on how much the member spent at REI in a given year.

Why does this matter?

There is rising interest in cooperative business models in the U.S. and elsewhere and I believe co-ops will become much more popular in the coming decades, including in New Mexico. If you know someone who wants to start a co-op, send them my way!