About the North Coast Co-op

When you are a member of the North Coast Cooperative you are an owner. Co-ops are structured to serve their members for the benefit of their members. You may see references to your Co-op or ownership in your Co-op because members are owners. You have a voice and a vote.

Membership Has Many Benefits

Receive in-store discounts and specials when available. Members receive a 10% discount on their entire purchase during our

Membership Appreciation Days on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. In addition you can receive discounts to designated community events.

Receive The Co-op News containing financial, operational, nutritional and food safety information.

Member Feedback Web Log is a part of our new member linkages plan. The board and management invite feedback and comments from members about Co-op operations and food related topics.

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 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.

Vote for the Board of Directors (one vote per membership). Members can also run for the Board or serve on one of it's committees. Members can also vote in special elections called by the Board.

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 responsibilites 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 the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws. Paper copies are available at Customer Service. For more general information about cooperative articles of incorporation and by-laws click here.

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.

Owner Investment Sustains 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 an Owner Today, Invest Only $25!

It is Easy to Apply
Pick up a "Join Us" brochure in store or join online. Give the completed application to Customer Service, along with a minimum of $25 for your Membership "A" Share. Or mail to: North Coast Co-op, 811 I Street Arcata, CA 95521.

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.

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 and receive these added benefits:

• Receive their Patronage Refund as a check.
• Invest in preferred C shares, which earn dividends.
• Make an interest-bearing loan to the Co-op.

Click here to join the Co-op online

Click here to lookup information about your own membership

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 they live in.

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 over 47,000 consumer cooperatives in the United States. 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-second 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.

Today, there are at least 47,000 cooperatives just in the United States alone, according to the National Cooperative Business Association, that generate more than $100 billion in annual economic activity. All told, as many as 100 million Americans -- 40% of the population-are directly served by some type of cooperative endeavor. The Rochdale Pioneer spirit lives on.

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.

Corporate Offices
811 I Street
Arcata, CA 95521
707 826-8670

General Manager
David Lippman, Ext. 124
davidlippman@northcoastco-op.com

Membership Services
Valerie Davis, Ext. 135
valeriedavis@northcoastco-op.com

Member Linkages Director
Melanie Bettenhausen, Ext. 132
melanieb@northcoastco-op.com

Cooperative Employee Development
Terri Clark, Ext. 127
terriclark@northcoastco-op.com

Merchandising
Ron Sharp, Ext. 131
ronsharp@northcoastco-op.com

Controller
Jeff Peacock, Ext. 138
jeffpeacock@northcoastco-op.com

Arcata Store
8th & I Streets, 707 822-5947
Manager
SueCoulter, Ext. 140
suecoulter@northcoastco-op.com

Eureka Store
4th & B Streets, 707 443-6027
Manager
Larry Crabb, Ext. 101
lcrabb@northcoastco-op.com

Co-op Board of Directors
board@northcoastco-op.com

Board of Directors - 2007-2008
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:

September 23, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Eureka Co-op Community Meeting Room

Click here for the August agenda.
Click here for the General Manager's Report.
Click here for minutes from July 2008.
(Only approved minutes can be posted. Please contact Valerie Davis for more current information.)

The current Board members and terms are:

Mo Burke - President
11/01/05 - 10/31/08

Cheri Strong - Treasurer - Worker Representative
11/01/05 - 10/31/08

Kevin Lennox - Worker Representative
11/01/05 - 10/31/08

Dave Feral - Vice President
11/01/06 - 10/31/09

Lisa Butterfield - Board Member
11/01/06 - 10/31/09

Wayne Hawkins - Board Member
11/01/07 - 10/31/10

Julia Arnold - Secretary
11/01/07 - 10/31/10

Standing Committees
The Board operates four standing committees: Finance; Cooperative Affairs; Employee Relations; and Nominating. 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.

• The Chair is the Board Treasurer, Cheri Strong.
• Consists of 4-11 members.
• Staff liaison is Controller, Jeff Peacock, 826-8670 ext. 138
• Meets quarterly.
• No meetings are currently scheduled.

Cooperative Affairs Committee
Acts as the Board's oversight body in matters related to the cooperative's ownership systems and structure, as well as matters involving recruitment, administration and co-op education. Contact via email co-opaffairs@northcoastco-op.com. Members are invited to attend.

• The chair is appointed by the Board President.
• Committee Chair is Lisa Butterfield, board member.
• Consists of 3-9 Co-op members.
• Staff liaison is Member Linkages Director, Melanie Bettenhausen, 826-8670 ext. 132.
• Meets monthly.
• Next Meeting:

September 17, 2008 @ 6:00 pm
Arcata Co-op Conference Room

Click here for the July 2008 agenda.
Click here for minutes from June 2008.
(Only approved minutes can be posted. Please contact Melanie Bettenhausen for more current information.)

Employee Relations Committee
The purpose of the Employee Relations Committee is to make employee relations more coopertive and democratic. This committee is a forum for workers to have a positive impact on their working conditions

• The Chair is appointed by the Board President.
• Committee Chair will be determined at the next Board meeting.
• Meets as often as deemed necessary for its functions.
• No meetings are currently scheduled.

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 Mo Burke, Board President.
• Consists of 3-5 members.
• Staff liaison is the Board Assistant, Valerie Davis, 826-8670 ext. 135.
• Meets as often as deemed necessary for its functions.
• No meetings are currently scheduled.

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 and applications can be obtained by visiting those locations or you may request one by calling Debbie Chasny at (707) 826-8670 ext. 126.

View our job listings

Click here to download an application.