About the North Coast Co-op

We Own It!
A cooperative is a business owned and managed by its members. As locally owned businesses, co-ops are committed to the people they serve and the communities in which they live.

As a member you belong to an organization that strives to sustain the environment, the economy and the community. The Co-op actively supports local agriculture, food producers and general products.

Owners have a voice in what is sold to them, as well as in the overall organization of their co-op. Owners get the most buying power for their money and the money stays in the community, contributing to its strength.

Membership Has Many Benefits
Upon becoming a member of the Co-op, receive a free Co-op shopping bag, a coupon for $1.50 off of a bakery item and other valuable coupons. In addition receive the following benefits:

Vote for the Board of Directors (one vote per membership). Members can also run for the Board or serve on one of its committees. Members can also vote in special elections called by the Board. Elections are held in the fall.

Attend the Board and Committee meetings that shape the Co-op. Members can voice their opinions and concerns regarding food, policy, and community. Click here for meeting dates and times.

Rights and responsibilities are a unique aspect of belonging to a cooperative rather than a corporate grocery store. More about the rights and responsibilities of members can be found in Membership Disclusure document. For more detailed information, read our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws, the legal documents the Co-op uses to govern itself. Paper copies are available at Customer Service.

Receive The Co-op News a monthly publication of the North Coast Co-op containing financial, operational, community, nutritional and food safety information, which is mailed directly to your home.

Members Out Loud Online Blog allows for electronic feedback and comments from members about Co-op operations and food related topics.

Investment in "B" Shares in order to support the Co-op's cash flow. Learn more from Member Services Director, Bella Waters, at (707) 826-8670 ext. 135.

Receive patronage refunds when declared by the Board of Directors. Patronage refunds are a form of profit sharing that are the result of a profitable fiscal year.

Receive in-store discounts and specials when available. Members receive a 5% discount on their entire purchase on the day of their choosing, once a month. Learn more about the Member Appreciation Discount here.

Discounted Cooking Classes and Workshops. Save as much as $10 per cooking class or workshop in the Community Kitchen at our Eureka location. Click here for a schedule.

Cash personal checks at the Co-op for $60 above the purchase amount. Owners can also cash government or payroll checks. More detailed check cashing information is available at the register or Customer Service

Receive notification of product recalls. Members who shop using their member number are contacted when the items they have purchased have been recalled for safety reasons.

Receive refunds without a receipt. Because member purchases are tracked, items can be returned without a receipt.

Members Sustain Our Community

The Co-op supports many community organizations, such as:
• Sustainable agriculture programs
• Harvest of the Month & Farm To School
• Local Food Banks
• Area schools from K-16
• Women and children programs
• Local running and biking events
• Community festivals & events

Become a Member Owner

It is Easy to Apply
Pick up a "Join Us" brochure the next time you are shopping. Give the completed application to Customer Service, along with a minimum of $25 for your Membership "A" Share.

In a few weeks you will receive your membership card. Show it every time you go through the check stand to receive credit for your patronage and be eligible for other benefits. Your membership "A" share is $25. "B" shares can then be purchased for $10 each.

Owners may withdraw their membership, and receive the full amount of their share investment minus a $5 processing fee, in accordance with the Co-op's bylaws and withdrawal policy.

Keep Your Membership Active
To keep your membership active, you must do one of the following during each fiscal year ending in March:

• Purchase at least $50 in products
• Purchase a minimum of one "B" Share
• Be a Fair Share member

Become a "Fair Share" Member.
Fair Share owners make an additional investment in the Co-op to help sustain its on-going commitment to providing top quality goods and services at reasonable prices. Fair Share owners invest $300 in "B" Shares. For more information contact our Membership Coordinator, Bella Waters, at (707) 826-8670 ext. 135.

Simply put, a cooperative is a business owned and managed by its members. The structure is to pool resources to satisfy a common need while providing goods and services as economically and efficiently as possible. As locally owned businesses, co-ops are committed to the people they serve and the communities in which they live.

Owners can have a voice in what is sold to them, as well as in the overall organization of their particular co-op. Owners get the most buying power for their money and the money stays in the community, contributing to its economic strength.

Co-ops Are Everywhere
There are roughly 30,000 consumer cooperatives in the United States employing more than two million and bringing in $654 billion in revenue. Every day in America, the lives of as many as 100 million people are affected by cooperatives. The cooperative structure is flexible and endlessly adaptable, and in the twenty-first century co-ops provide almost every imaginable product and service a person could ever need, literally from cradle to grave.

There are co-ops that sell bicycles, furniture, camping equipment, appliances, carpeting, clothing, crafts and books. There are cooperative wholesalers, like those in the grocery, natural foods and hardware businesses. There are cooperatives that disseminate news and cooperatives for artists. There are cooperative electric and telephone utilities. There are cooperatively managed banks, credit unions and community development corporations. There are thousands of farm co-ops, along with co-ops that provide financing to those farm co-ops. There are subscriber-owned cable TV systems and parent-run day-care centers.

There are cooperatively organized employee-owned companies, cooperative purchasing groups for fast food franchises, and various kinds of cooperative housing. There are co-ops that provide health care, such as health maintenance organizations and community health clinics. There are cooperative insurance companies. There are cooperative food stores, food buying clubs and discount warehouses. There are even cooperative funeral societies.

In the Beginning
To truly understand cooperatives, you need to go back in history just over 100 years to Rochdale, England. In 1844, 28 workers formed the first successful cooperative. They were weavers, shoemakers, cabinetmakers, tailors, printers, hatters and engineers who together called themselves the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society.

Cooperative societies existed before then, but the Pioneers were doing something different, something that touched a nerve. Although they couldn't have appreciated the significance, in retrospect, it's clear their co-op profoundly changed the lives of millions of working people. From a tiny store stocked with healthy food staples-flour, sugar, butter and oatmeal that the co-op's owners bought in quantity and sold to each other at low prices-their idea established the fundamental principles of modern cooperation that were eventually borrowed by 700 million people in nearly 100 countries.

Most of this text was taken from "A Day in the Life of Cooperative America," produced in 1994 for the National Cooperative Bank in conjunction with its celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Rochdale Principles.

Board/Elections

Board of Directors - 2012/2013
The North Coast Co-op is a wholly member-owned and governed organization by a Board of Directors elected by our ownership. The board can be contacted via email at board@northcoastco-op.com. Members are invited and encouraged to attend meetings.

Next Meeting:

Thursday, May 23, 2013@ 6pm
Arcata Community Kitchen
(across the street from our Arcata location)

Board Agenda - April (PDF)

Board Meeting Minutes - March (PDF)

(Only approved minutes can be posted. Please contact Bella Waters for more current information.)

The current Board members and terms are:

John Woolley - Chair
11/01/11 - 10/31/14

Melanie Cunningham - Vice Chair
11/01/10 - 10/31/13

Steve Suttell - Treasurer
11/01/10 - 10/31/13

Kate Lancaster - Secretary
11/01/12 - 10/31/15

Tim Silva - Employee Director
11/01/11 - 10/31/14

Fred Moore - Board Member
11/01/12 - 10/31/15

Open Seat - Employee Director
11/01/13 - 10/31/16

Committees
The Board operates two standing committees--Finance and Nominating--and one ad hoc committee--Co-op Action. These committees contribute to the organization and operations in an advisory capacity. Summaries of their structures are listed below. Members are invited to attend.

Finance Committee
Reviews and analyzes all financial information to be presented to the Board. Considers financial motions that ultimately must be approved by the Board. This meeting is open to members.

• The Chair is appointed by the Board President.
• The Chair is Steve Suttell.
• Consists of 4-11 members.
• Staff liaison is Chief Financial Officer, Kelli Costa, (707) 826-8670 ext. 138
• Meets quarterly.
• Next meeting:

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 @ 5:30
Co-op Conference Room
8th & I Streets, Arcata

Nominating Committee
Recruits and nominates candidates for the Board and committees. Supervises the elections of and the training/development of leadership in directors and committee members.

• The Chair is appointed by the Board President.
• Committee Chair is Kate Lancaster.
• Consists of 3-5 members.
• Staff liaison is the Board Assistant, Bella Waters, (707) 826-8670 ext. 135.
• Meets as often as deemed necessary for its functions.
• No meetings are currently scheduled.

Co-op Action Committee (ad hoc)
Acts as an advisory committee to the Board, providing an organized structure for members to come together, to communicate their ideas and concerns, and to influence North Coast Co-op policy and practice. Contact via email Co-opActionCommittee@northcoastco-op.com. Members are encouraged to attend.

• The chair is appointed by the Board President.
• Committee Chair is not currently appointed.
• Consists of 3-9 Co-op members.
• Staff liaison is Outreach Director, Melanie Bettenhausen, (707) 826-8670 ext. 132.
• Meets at the request of the Board of Directors.
• No meetings scheduled at this time.

The following Statement of Cooperative Identity was adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance in 1995:

Statement on the Co-operative Identity:

DEFINITION

A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

VALUES

Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.

PRINCIPLES

The co-operative principles are guidelines by which co-operatives put their values into practice.

Voluntary and Open Membership
Co-operatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social racial, political, or religious discrimination.

Democratic Member Control
Co-operatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary co-operatives members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote), and co-operatives at other levels are also organized in a democratic manner.

Member Economic Participation
Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their co-operative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the co-operative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any of the following purposes: developing their co-operative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the co-operative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

Autonomy and Independence
Co-operatives are autonomous, self-help organizations, controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their co-operative autonomy.

Education, Training and Information
Co-operatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of the co-operative. They inform the general public - particularly young people and opinion leaders - about the nature and benefits of co-operation.

Co-operation Among Co-operatives
Co-operatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the co-operative movement by working together through local, regional, national, and international structures.

Concern for Community
Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities, through policies approved by their members.

North Coast Co-op is a growing, dynamic and diverse retail grocery operation with a natural foods emphasis and, as with all co-ops, an emphasis on employee and consumer education. In addition to wages and salary the Co-op provides medical, dental, optical and vacation benefits; employee discounts; yummy perks and a great work environment. We have two retail stores and an in-house production bakery and deli. The North Coast Co-op is an equal opportunity employer. Currently there are about 200 employees.

Job openings are generally advertised at each store. Applications can be obtained by downloading one below, picking one up at Customer Service, or you may request one to be mailed by calling Lisa Landry at (707) 826-8670 ext. 127.

View our job listings

Click here to download an application.