Co-op News Round-Up 8/25

All the co-op news that's fit to print, August edition

🌹An outstanding new documentary by filmmaker Sarah Maria titled After Capitalism: A Cooperative Economy features stories of worker co-ops in Baltimore, MD as well as Takoma Park's TPSS Food Co-op.

🌹Small Business Rising is looking for additional signatories for a letter urging support of an Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit against Amazon for anti-competitive practices. If your co-op wants to join the coalition, simply sign on to the letter. The video below outlines the state of play.

🌹The Cooperative Development Fund (CDF) announced their Fall Cooperative Education Fund Grant Cycle has opened. Proposals are due by Oct 1st.

🌹National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) CEO Doug O'Brein wrote a piece for Real Clear Markets titled "Coops Work - So Why Aren't We Utilizing Them More? (we agree!)

🌹PCC Community Market's president and CEO Krish Srinivasan announced that he will be stepping down from his role in Jan 2027. Srinivasan has been president and CEO of the country's largest food co-op chain since 2022, after previously serving as CFO.

🌹City Center Market in Cambridge, MN celebrated their grand reopening on July 29th following a lengthy expansion project.

🌹Equal Exchange announced for the first time in their 40-year history, they'll be proactively engaging in the US midterm elections this fall, specifically "to defeat election deniers." More information is available on their website, including two webinars about the activism.

🌹Fair Trade America put out an article outlining what co-ops are and how they fit into the national and global economy, including their work supporting the fair trade movement.

🌹And lastly, as always, we commend an article from the archives of Cooperative Grocer Magazine. If you just can't wait until 2027 to get your next chance to experience FCI's excellent Up and Coming conference, read this 2012 article by Ellen Michel recapping the 3rd ever Up and Coming.