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We put purpose before profit and act in the long-term interest of our members and community. We believe in building a strong and sustainable community, local economy, and environment through cooperation.
Bloomingfoods has been a community-owned cooperative (co-op) grocery store since 1976. In 1975, a group of people got together and created a business that would have a local focus and bring them all the great food that they could not find anywhere else. We remain dedicated to good food and good health, excellent customer service, local and regional producers, and giving back to the community we are all a part of. Food issues are central to our focus, and we want to keep folks up-to-date on what is happening in our community and the world — we strive to share more of what we know with you.
Our Mission
Bloomingfoods promotes healthy, high quality, sustainable, and environmentally-sound products at a fair price. Our commitment to sustainable agriculture, artisanal producers of local products, and delicious regional foods are a few of the things that set us apart. Our purpose and mission as stated in our Bylaws, Article I, Section 1.2: As more fully stated in its Articles of Amendment: the purposes of the Co-op are:
To promote and encourage interest in the local growing of food crops and to provide for the consumers of Southern Indiana locally grown, nutritious food.
To educate the community to the economic, social, and other beneficial values inherent in organizing community services, and in offering locally produced consumer goods and food.
To help provide low-cost food and consumer services to low-income owner-members of the Co-op and the local community as a whole whenever possible.
A further mission of the Co-op is to foster a healthy and sustainable future through the development of community-based cooperative businesses. The Co-op shall at all times be operated on a cooperative basis for the mutual benefit of its owners.
Our Ends Statement
Articulated by the BCS Board of Directors:
Because of BCS, people in Bloomington and South Central Indiana will have…
• A market for local, fair and healthful products, produced with care for the land, animals, and future generations.
• A democratic cooperative-ownership model that provides meaningful employment and strengthens the community.
• A robust and sustainable local food economy with fair prices for producers and all owner-members.
• Access to education on food systems, cooperative values, and the interconnectedness of food, health, and the environment.
We are a Cooperative (Co-op)! So, what exactly is a Co-op?
A cooperative (co-op) is defined as 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 organizations.
All co-ops contain the following elements:
Co-ops are owned and governed by their primary users (the owner-members - You do not need to be a member to shop at a co-op. Everyone is welcome!
Co-ops are democratically governed (one owner-member, one vote).
Co-ops are businesses, not clubs or associations.
Co-ops adhere to internationally recognized principles (the seven cooperative principles are described below).
Co-ops bring people together in a democratic and equal way. Whether the owner-members are the customers, employees, or residents, co-ops are democratically managed by the 'one member, one vote' rule. Owner-members share equal voting rights regardless of the amount of capital they put into the organization. In co-ops, owner-members pool resources to bring about economic results that are unobtainable by one person alone.
As people-centric businesses driven by values, co-ops share internationally agreed principles (seven cooperative principles listed below) and act together to build a better world through cooperation. Putting fairness, equality and social justice at the heart of the organization, co-ops around the world are allowing people to work together to create sustainable businesses.
Seven Cooperative Principles - Putting Our Values into Practice
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Cooperatives 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.
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Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Persons serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are also organized in a democratic manner.
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Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.
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Cooperatives 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 cooperative autonomy.
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Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their co-operatives. They inform the general public - particularly young people and opinion leaders - about the nature and benefits of co-operation.
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Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
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Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.
In the tradition of their founders, Owner-Members value
Honesty
Openness
Social Responsibility
Caring for Others
More About Co-ops
In case you were wondering, consumer cooperatives are very different from privately-owned “discount clubs,” which charge annual fees in exchange for a discount on purchases. These clubs are not owned or governed by the members, and the profits of the business go to the investors. In a cooperative, the owner-members actually own a part of the business, and, in a profitable year, they may be eligible for a patronage rebate.
Ranging from small-scale to multi-million dollar businesses across the globe, cooperatives employ more than 100 million people and have more than 800 million individual members. The overall goal of the cooperative movement is to create organizations that serve the needs of the people who use them. Cooperative businesses provide goods and services in a way that keeps community resources in the community.
While the specific goals of a cooperative are determined by its owner-members, all cooperatives adhere to the principles of cooperation that are based on practices of the first successful consumer cooperative, the Rochdale Pioneers Equitable Society, founded in Rochdale, England in 1844. In addition to consumer cooperatives, there are also producer- (usually agricultural) and worker-owned cooperatives, housing co-ops, health care co-ops (the original HMOs were co-ops), and financial co-ops (credit unions). Most grocery store co-ops are consumer cooperatives, which means that they are owned by the people who shop at the stores. Owner-members exercise their ownership by patronizing the store and electing a board of directors to guide the organization. To learn more about the benefits of Bloomingfoods owner-membership, click the button below.