As I tell you about our failed attempt to organize and cooperate to create a more robust regional food distribution business in Central Oregon, I want you to know I think it’s possible, but there are significant barriers in this iteration of late stage capitalism where we are all sprinting through life trying to make enough money to stay afloat.
I personally reject the use of “failure” because of its connection to old systems I’m trying to shake off. I understand your use of it here, as it’s a well known business concept/approach to evaluating “success” and its attachment to profitability. The amount of rich data and the discoveries you gathered from the first iteration of this endeavor, to create a resilient food system in Central Oregon, is a huge success. My pull toward the dream of a healthy robust thriving food system in CO is powerful and your learnings fuel it. Onward. Outcreate my friend!
There's such a survivorship bias in co-operatives. For every great one, there's hundreds you never hear of, for the reasons you explained so well. Its almost the default position for development funders (I'm in Belize), but they just set it up and leave because that's what they did in Peru or Nigeria. Then its a "people problem" when they don't succeed. And as someone who's done those weekly deliveries to restaurants for years, I'd love a solution. The supply chain is a killer. Never stop trying to work it out. It's only people with skin in the game that will.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Cate! We chose an llc with co-op elements for The Grange too (after a lot of consultation with others and conversations with Cole.) It’s still early, but as you mentioned, seems to be an easier concept to explain for fundraising. And the start-up costs, funding the collaborative stage will be key to more solutions like these. I don’t know what the answer is, but thank you for starting the conversation!
Wow. Very interested to know more about you. Your voice is important. My sister is a raw milk producer in Western Oregon, and I milk some animals in Burns for myself and family. I cannot sell raw milk in a way to make money, but am blessed in a situation where I have a government day job and work from home, at the moment anyway. I found a small group of people that I trade milk for their products, but I could not be less interested in selling raw milk on demand. Nobody knows what it takes unless they have done it themselves, and the process is priceless for those that can, and unfathomable for those who don't want to try. Hope our paths cross in the future. ❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience with AgConnect. I don’t know the answers either, when you’re operating on tight margins as it is and trying to keep your own farm, family, self in somewhat of a balance there’s so very little left to give. It’s 1000x more effort to use that limited capacity to create something innovative/cooperative than to tap into existing (and limiting) structures. It’s frankly in our nature as farmers/ranchers to produce and create, whether that be agricultural products or new systems. I wholeheartedly believe that if producers were given the resources/capacity we would find solutions to most of the problems we currently face. My money’s on farmers and rancher all day, everyday. I appreciate all the effort y’all did put forth. I’m hopeful we’ll see something for wholesale distribution, even if it doesn’t end up being cooperative, for Central Oregon producers.
Thank you for your thoughtful and honest reflections. It takes an incredible amount of resilience and grit to fight through these battles! Grateful for you.
I personally reject the use of “failure” because of its connection to old systems I’m trying to shake off. I understand your use of it here, as it’s a well known business concept/approach to evaluating “success” and its attachment to profitability. The amount of rich data and the discoveries you gathered from the first iteration of this endeavor, to create a resilient food system in Central Oregon, is a huge success. My pull toward the dream of a healthy robust thriving food system in CO is powerful and your learnings fuel it. Onward. Outcreate my friend!
There's such a survivorship bias in co-operatives. For every great one, there's hundreds you never hear of, for the reasons you explained so well. Its almost the default position for development funders (I'm in Belize), but they just set it up and leave because that's what they did in Peru or Nigeria. Then its a "people problem" when they don't succeed. And as someone who's done those weekly deliveries to restaurants for years, I'd love a solution. The supply chain is a killer. Never stop trying to work it out. It's only people with skin in the game that will.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Cate! We chose an llc with co-op elements for The Grange too (after a lot of consultation with others and conversations with Cole.) It’s still early, but as you mentioned, seems to be an easier concept to explain for fundraising. And the start-up costs, funding the collaborative stage will be key to more solutions like these. I don’t know what the answer is, but thank you for starting the conversation!
I love your strong, informed, passionate voice. The Macy Family is in your corner!
Wow. Very interested to know more about you. Your voice is important. My sister is a raw milk producer in Western Oregon, and I milk some animals in Burns for myself and family. I cannot sell raw milk in a way to make money, but am blessed in a situation where I have a government day job and work from home, at the moment anyway. I found a small group of people that I trade milk for their products, but I could not be less interested in selling raw milk on demand. Nobody knows what it takes unless they have done it themselves, and the process is priceless for those that can, and unfathomable for those who don't want to try. Hope our paths cross in the future. ❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience with AgConnect. I don’t know the answers either, when you’re operating on tight margins as it is and trying to keep your own farm, family, self in somewhat of a balance there’s so very little left to give. It’s 1000x more effort to use that limited capacity to create something innovative/cooperative than to tap into existing (and limiting) structures. It’s frankly in our nature as farmers/ranchers to produce and create, whether that be agricultural products or new systems. I wholeheartedly believe that if producers were given the resources/capacity we would find solutions to most of the problems we currently face. My money’s on farmers and rancher all day, everyday. I appreciate all the effort y’all did put forth. I’m hopeful we’ll see something for wholesale distribution, even if it doesn’t end up being cooperative, for Central Oregon producers.
Thank you for your thoughtful and honest reflections. It takes an incredible amount of resilience and grit to fight through these battles! Grateful for you.