A cooperative is an organization that is owned by its members or workers. The principal types of cooperatives are:
- Buyer Cooperatives – where individuals unite to buy goods or services collectively [example: a food co-op such as Bethlehem Food Co-op]
- Producer Cooperatives – Growers or producers unite to market or process their products [example: Organic Valley, many FairTrade coops]
- Purchasing Cooperatives – like a buyer co-op, but with small businesses uniting to compete with huge corporations [example: Ace Hardware, Best Western]
- Worker Cooperatives – workers own, and may also manage, the business [example: Equal Exchange]