This week I had the honor of representing the Littleton Food Co-op as a supporter, participant, and panelist in the two-day Global Launch of the Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation (ICCI) at UC Davis. I want to thank Professor Keith Davis for the invitation to get involved, beginning last year, and for his vision and leadership in kicking off this initiative, along with the whole steering committee and many others who brought this event together. One of my favorite things about it was that it was truly a cooperative effort!
The event convened over 100 key leaders and stakeholders who are aligned on the mission of building a world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem for co-ops, one that moves us toward a world of agency, empowerment, innovation, and economic democracy. This initiative is built on three critical pillars:
- Actionable Research
- Executive Education
- Incubation and Engagement
[read the full pillars and more at https://grandchallenges.ucdavis.edu/challenges/reimagining-the-land-grant-university-for-the-21st-century-beyond/icci/]
Here are some highlights from parts of the event that I had a specific role in:
- Cooperative Case Studies from Northern Italy: 🧀🍷🍇On Day 1, I was asked to introduce and moderate a discussion with two cooperative leaders from the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy. Thank you to Carlo Dalmonte, President of Gruppo Caviro, the leading wine cooperative in Italy, and Michele Falzetta, Director General of Latteria Soresina, a premier Italian dairy cooperative and the world’s leading producer of Grana Padano DOP cheese. We talked about the importance of “Patient Capital” and about the circular economy, highlighted by Caviro’s system of eliminating 99% of waste from the wine-making process, turning that potential waste into value for it’s members and the community. There’s a lot we can learn here in the US from the Italian system of cooperation, and I look forward to building on this international exchange through the ICCI. Perhaps convening in Italy next! You know, just to keep it balanced. 😉
- Incubation and Engagement Pillar: 🤝🌱On Day 2, I sat on a panel focused on the Incubation and Engagement pillar, facilitated by Richard Morris. I was joined by Colin Rinta Stewart of C-Group Cooperative, and Stephen Sudderman of the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The conversation was focused on what is needed in order to accelerate co-op development and scale the co-op system in the US. We talked about the need for co-op friendly financing, and the potential to better leverage cash we already have in the co-op system to access additional capital. We talked about the importance of cross-sector partnerships (i.e. food co-ops, producer co-ops, purchasing co-ops, electric co-ops, finance co-ops/credit unions). And we talked about cross-sector shared digital services and infrastructure needed to address common needs across co-ops and retain value and ownership of data.
- Growing Agrifood Solutions: 🚚🔁 Later on Day 2, I participated as a discussant along with other food co-op sector folks in the Agrifoods Solutions breakout group. Anthony Goodwin of the Development Cooperative (NCG DC) presented the case for a national grocery co-op model, which is a priority of the DC currently. I’m also on the DC Board, and this was a great opportunity for us to test some ideas and get valuable feedback. Colin and I presented the vision of the Provisions Co-op Wholesale platform and its value in facilitating regional sourcing and distribution, especially by creating connected networks of food co-ops and producers leveraging shared aggregation and distribution infrastructure. There was discussion about regional coordination among food co-ops, and we heard from Chris from Briar Patch Food Co-op, Laura from Davis Food Co-op, and a contingent from Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. We also heard from Nanyelis Diaz-Chapman of the Agricultural Platform Collective and Office of Kat Taylor about the amazing work they are doing and opportunities for collaboration to expand markets for farmers and improve food access.
Aside from these highlights, the event was valuable from a networking and relationship-building perspective, which is so important in this work. We’re building a community, and I’m excited about all the budding friendships and collaborations as much as anything. Together we are building a cooperative future!
Big thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to an inspiring week!
And thanks to each of the event sponsors:
Confercoopetive Confederazione Cooperative Italiane, Cooperatione Trentina, Caviro Group, Latteria Soresina, UCD Global Affairs (Eivind Lange and Mary Puma Fund), UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UCD Grand Challenges, UCD College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Rich Morris, Development Cooperative (NCG DC), Davis Food Co-op, Littleton Food Co-op.
#CooperativeInnovation #EconomicDemocracy #SustainableAg #EconomicDevelopment #LocalEconomy #Cooperatives #CooperativeEducation #Principle6
