User:Irina M Neacsu/sandbox

The London Food Co-op is a not-for-profit food cooperative located in London, Ontario.

It is a member-owned grocery store that operates under a system of "Direct Charge". This eliminates the need for marketing and its associated costs in exchange for a membership fee paid weekly by its members.

The store offers a selection of certified organic, fair trade, locally-sourced, sustainably-produced, and minimally-packaged foods.

History
The London Food Co-op was established and incorporated in December 1970 in London, Ontario, by a group of 20-25 people that "were concerned about the high cost of 'natural' foods available through local 'health' foods outlets."

The store first operated under the governance of 15 members from one of the member's house, offering six items on a pre-order basis. To meet demand, the store quickly moved into a small lock-up store on Central avenue, east of English Street.

In June 1972, the co-op had grown to 85 members and moved to a new location at 419 Hamilton Road.

In June 1977, the co-op undertook its largest move, transferring operations of the store to 820 Cabell Street.

In March 1982, the co-op made its final move to their current location at 621 Princess Avenue in Old East Village, a neighbourhood east of downtown London renown for its commercial district and unique architecture.

This new building was equipped with solar panels on the roof, an improvement reflecting their values and social goals.

Values and social goals
Common to co-op businesses, The London Food Co-op incorporates the following values into their business model:


 * social and economic responsibility
 * respect for the earth
 * a caring community
 * a healthy local food economy

Governance and Management
The London Food Co-op is democratically controlled using a system of "one member one vote", as opposed to the one-vote-per-share system used by stock-holder owned businesses. This system of governance ensures that people control the organization instead of capital.

All members of the London Food Co-op are owners, and actively participate in the day-to-day operations, as well as in the decision-making process at all stages of retail operations.

The co-op is managed by two groups: The Board of Directors and the Management team. The former are responsible for long term planning and administration of meetings, and the latter coordinates day-to-day operations.

Both the Board of Directors and members make decisions such as plans for expansion, supplier selection and product selection.

The members can vote for various decisions impacting the co-op, and participate in the election of its board members at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The store does not participate in promotional sales; they do not support any brand over another.

The London Food Co-op adopts the following 7 principles:


 * 1) Voluntary and open membership
 * 2) Democratic member control
 * 3) Economic participation by members
 * 4) Autonomy and independence
 * 5) Education, training and information
 * 6) Co-operation among co-operatives
 * 7) Concern for community

Membership
To become a member, individuals are required to pay a yearly membership fee of $40, up to a maximum $400. This means that it takes 10 years to pay the membership in full.

This fee covers fixed operating expenses such as rent, staff salaries, utilities, insurance, depreciation on store fixtures, accounting, etc.

Individuals who wish to shop at the co-op are not obliged to become a member, however the membership offers a 10% discount for members.

Members have the possibility of suspending membership payments should they require it during an extended absence.

The co-op operates an honour system and encourages their members to weigh their own produce and call out the prices of their products at the cash register.

Volunteering
Members are encouraged to volunteer with store maintenance and service; in exchange, they may have some of their fees waived in exchange for their time and support for the community.

The work is on a voluntary basis, and includes tasks such as : packaging, cleaning, operating the cash register, stocking shelves, carpentry, building maintenance, painting, committee work, inventory, and many others.

Products
The London Food co-op specialized in "foods which are unadulterated by additives and whose nutritive value has not been significantly diminished through processing", and when available, grown without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers.

The co-op offers a wide range of certified organic, fair trade and local food items such as bulk grains and legumes, fresh produce, meat, dairy, herbs and spices, supplements, household items, as well as a variety of refrigerated and frozen foods.