Bay+Area+Coops+and+Supporting+Orgs

[back to Session 3 - Nov 04, 2012]

Hello Comrades!

(In case you didn't get the message from our Google group, here's a back up email.) [ed., and now wiki doc]

Sorry for the delay but here are the notes/minutes from Session 3 and some information on Worker Cooperatives and their supporting organizations in the Bay Area i visited on my research trip.

Enjoy!

In Solidarity, Ricardo
 * Bay Area Cooperative Incubators: **


 * ** __http://wagescooperatives.org/__ :This organization is not structured as a cooperative but serves as an incubator for green-businesses, owned and operated by women, particularly women of color and immigrant women.  **


 * ** __http://arizmendi.coop/__ : This is a very succesful cooperatively structured incubator that asks all of its associated member cooperatives to provide a “seed fund” to establish future cooperatives from their surplus income. Members share a common mission, share ongoing accounting, legal, educational and other support services.  **


 * Bay Area Cooperative Support Organizations: **


 * ** __http://www.theselc.org/__ : The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides essential legal tools — education, research, advice, and advocacy — to support this transition to localized, resilient economies. Their work focuses on practices that promote justice and sharing, including __Barter__, __Local Currencies__ , __Cooperatives__ , __Community Enterprises__ , __Local Investing__ , __Cohousing__ , __Urban Agriculture__ , and other innovative economic strategies. SELC was co-founded by Janelle Orsi, who wrote __Practicing Law in the Sharing Economy: Helping People Build Cooperatives, Social Enterprise, and Local Sustainable Economies__ .  **


 * ** __http://nobawc.org/__ : The Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives or NoBAWC (pronounced "No Boss") is dedicated to building workplace democracy in San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. NoBAWC provides support for democratic goods and services.  **


 * Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (That I visited): **


 * ** __http://thejuicebar.org/__ : The Juice Bar Collective (Berkeley) -- committed to using organic produce, beans, grains, and dairy whenever possible, and are constantly expanding our use of organic ingredients; a Bay Area certified __Green Business,__ using minimal and compostable packaging for much of our take-out food; committed to reducing our use of energy and water resources, and are further exploring eco-friendly and sustainable business practices.  **


 * ** __http://www.alchemycollective.com/__, __http://www.facebook.com/Alchemycollective__ : Alchemy Collective Cafe (Berkeley) -- We have no boss, and we hire no employees. We are a collective of multi-disciplinary baristas, working together to create something you've never seen before. Individually we are competent and ambitious; together we are unstoppable.  **


 * ** __http://www.missinglink.org/__ __:__ Missing Link Bicycle Cooperative (Berkeley) -- The Missing Link Bicycle Co-op has been a cooperatively run bike shop for over 37 years. We are located just below the U.C. campus in Berkeley, California, and we sell new and used bicycles, bike accessories, parts, and clothing.  **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">** __http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/__ : The Cheese Board and the Cheeseboard Pizzeria Collectives (Berkeley) -- The Cheese Board opened as a small cheese store in 1967. In 1971, the two original owners sold their business to their employees and created a 100% worker owned business of which they remained a part.  **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">** __http://www.arizmendibakery.org/__ : Arizmendi Bakery (Inner Sunset, San Francisco) -- Forty years ago, Berkeley's now-famous cooperative, the __Cheeseboard__ ,opened its doors. In 1997, inspired by their own success, they helped open another bakery based on cooperative principles. Arizmendi Oakland debuted that year on Lakeshore Avenue, __named after the Basque labor organizer__ __.__ The endeavor was a hit, so what next? They decided to open another bakery, this time in San Francisco.  **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">** __http://www.nabolombakery.com/__ : Nabolom Collective Bakery (Berkeley) -- Nabolom Collective Bakery has been a worker-owned collective since our founding in 1976. We use only the finest ingredients in our handcrafted goods. We compost ninety percent of our waste and are one of the greenest food service businesses in the Bay Area.  **