Creating a cooperative to grow your business

A producers' cooperative operates a business whose primary goal is to provide the goods and services its members need to carry out their work. This formula may be an appealing legal framework for self-employed workers, professionals, merchants or producers seeking to establish a network where there is strength in numbers.

The saying goes that there's strength in numbers. That is power of the cooperative formula, which you can tap into by creating a producers' cooperative. By joining other entrepreneurs, you can share the services and tools that help grow your business. Entrepreneurs in the same industry who choose to unite still control their respective businesses and benefit from advantages that are too often reserved for large organizations.

A producers' cooperative operates a business whose primary objective is to supply the goods and services its members need to carry out their work. This formula can be an appealing legal framework for self-employed workers, professionals, merchants or producers seeking to establish a network where there's strength in numbers. The cooperative brings together individuals or businesses that want to share the costs associated with their profession or their operations:

  • Joint negotiations with suppliers
  • Shared offices and equipment
  • Shared management systems
  • Joint promotion and launches of products and services
  • Business opportunity creation
  • Member representation
  • Training and communication
  • Etc.

There are many advantages to forming a producers' cooperative:

  • Maximization of your business's impact by taking advantage of the network created by the cooperative
  • Increased profit margin and decreased costs
  • For-profit structure that combines economic viability with social success
  • Tax measures that facilitate capitalization
  • Members' financial liability limited to the cooperative's subscribed capital
  • Flexible formula that can be adapted to members' needs
  • Collective ownership with a proven track record for sustainability
  • Principles of solidarity, sharing and fairness
  • Democratic exercise of power and a sense of belonging
  • Redistribution of surpluses to members based on their use of the cooperative's services

Choosing the cooperative formula is choosing the best of both worlds: you have the freedom of running your own business and enjoy the benefits reserved for large organizations. In addition to all that a producers' cooperative can do for you and your business, you will also find a network of entrepreneurs who, like you, are working hard to ensure the success of their businesses. With the cooperative formula, members forge ties to help one another and collaborate. That's the power of cooperation!