Start your own Food Co-op

based on our model WOC – It's just a model, not the model

The Basics: What you need to do
The Elements: How our coop works
- once a week
- once a quarter
- once a year
Other events

The Basics: What you need to do

1.Gather interested and committed people.

(a)Committee – 6 people to fill following roles - president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, committee person #1, committee person #2 (see 'committee descriptions document'). The WOC Committee meets every 2-3 months. A committee starting a new co-op should expect to meet more often until things are running smoothly. In our experience, a solid and committed core of people is essential to the establishment of a new co-op.

(b)Members – optimum number is between 12 and 28 households. This is due to roles. Small size – 12 people - 2 on market, every 2nd week; 4 on sorting, every 2nd week
Large size – 28 people - 2 on market, every 4th week; 4 on sorting, every 5nd week

SOC – organized a few meetings including a shared lunch to gather interest and once there was a sure sign of more than 15 ‘definates’ we held our first formal meeting where we paid our membership, signed forms and voted on committee members and decided drivers and sorters.

2.Form an Incorporated Association. This is done through Consumer Affairs Victoria. This is required to obtain a buying pass from the Metropolitan Fruit & Vegetable market. Details at http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/management/view_help_sheet.do?articleid=15
(Note, the WOC is a ‘Collective’, not a ‘Co-operative’ in the legal meaning of the word).

To do this you will need:
(a)unique organisation name. Ours is Western Organic Collective Inc
(b)the aims and objectives of the organisation (statement of purpose). See ours above.
(c)set of rules of the association (the constitution) – adopt the standard 'model rules' or draft your own custom set. WOC adopted the model rules
(d)a meeting of the organisation to approve the Incorporation, adopt the new constitution/rules, and appoint your officebearers. One (reliable!) person needs to be nominated as the Public Officer for the Collective, they have responsibility for ensuring the Collective adheres to all its legal obligations.
(e)lodge your application with application form, statutory declaration, copy of the rules/constitution adopted at the meeting, signed, etc; copy of your statement of purposes, and lodgement fee of $53.80 $55.10 (model rules) or $107.5 (own rules). This comes out of the annual membership fee.

3.Set up bank account. WOC has adopted a rule whereby there must be 2 signatories for any cheques or withdrawals.

4.Apply to the Australian Taxation Office for an ABN. The ABN means the incorporated entity can be income tax exempt (being a non-profit organisation). Once you have an ABN, you fill out a form to be tax exempt. The tax exempt form will come to you from the Tax Office automatically. Application details are here - www.abr.gov.au

5.Get buying pass from market. Market Buyer's Pass is $18. New applications can be made at the Customer Service Centre, entry Gate 1, between 9am-11am only. Process takes about 40 minutes and involves watching an induction video. More details are here - http://www.melbournemarkets.com.au/services_access.asp

6.Set up your roster. SOC got Vice President to do this to share the load. A few notes to decide first:
- Check with sorters who has an appropriate space to sort up to 25 boxes undercover? Suggestions include choosing 4-6 houses with good access/sorting spaces/centrally located
- Pair up market buyers with suitable cars/vans
- Put houses on a google map to help with delivering. SOC is also making SOC stickers to stick on letterboxes to identify houses more easily
- Make sure that every member has the contact details of all other members! Have a system in place for those people who continually don’t make it to their sorting.

The Elements: How our coop works

Currently THE WOC works through a weekly paying, ordering, picking–up and distribution system. Each of these areas is handled by at least one person in the Coop. F&V is bought from one of two organic wholesale stalls at Footscray metro market. We presently buy from Biodynamic Marketing but previously have used Organic Wholesalers. The produce is organic, this means we get fruit and veg according to the seasons. Generally, there are 3 or 4 types of fruit, and 3 or 4 types of vegetables. Staples such as potatoes, onions, & carrots are purchased regularly.

once a week..

1.Paying
$20 a box of assorted F&V per household. Bread prices vary slightly according the type of loaf. Money paid in advance. No money – no box policy. Money and order form dropped into locked mailbox or through door slot at Accounts officer’s house, or designated safe spot. All money in by Tuesday 5pm. Members are encouraged to bulk pay in advance, so as to always be ahead. (Bread is ordered separately by the Accounts officer from Pure Bread Bakery).

SOC – as all households don’t buy a box each week, SOC has a few larger households who would like to be emailed if there is a 2nd box on offer. Every Tuesday night the accounts officer tallies the boxes and if there is less than 25, they email those interested (or people on the waiting list) and they have to get their $20 in ASAP. More boxes = more purchasing money = great variety.

2.Preparation
Accounts officer collects money, enters details on spreadsheet, rings through bread order, prints off order sheet & receipts for market collection people and sorters.

Bread is ordered through Purebread Bakery (ordered on Wednesday for Friday morning delivery) and delivered to the one house every week where the market buyers pick it up either on the way to or home from the markets.

3.Buying
The picking up from the Melbourne Wholesale Market is done early on Friday Morning. Ideal to have 4 we use 6 people people on rotating roster. They collect folder (money & orders) from Accounts officer’s house, then to market where they choose bargains – looking for approximately 8-10 different types of F&V that are mostly in season. They will drop off the order at the home of the nominated house where sorting will occur for that week. Note, bread is ordered separately from the fruit & veg purchasing, by the Accounts Officer each week.

4.Sorting and Delivery
The distribution of the Fruit and Vegies and Bread is done on a rostered system. Each week 4 people have the responsibility of distributing to the rest of the coop (those households outside of the Footscray area are required to pick up themselves).
Sorting and deliveries are done on Friday mornings and take 1-2 hours. Starting time is 7.45am, this is a given unless otherwise requested and agreed upon by all sorting people on that day.
The fruit and vegies will be dropped off at the nominated household. A quarterly roster is drawn up to show when your household is on. It is your responsibility to change with someone else if you are unable to make a particular week.

5.Communication
Messages in boxes - share anything related to the co-op - from things like rosters to proposed changes, sharing recipes and reminders about upcoming celebrations (as well as the odd piece of propaganda).
We use an online egroup, where one email message can be posted and all listed members receive it.
See ours at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westernorganic
It is important to remember those who have no email and still need to be kept informed.

once a quarter..

1.Roster
Secretary does up roster for sorting. The WOC Secretary can be contacted to get a sample roster.

2.Dry Goods
We have Dry Goods day once a quarter where orders are placed for items such as flour, rice, dried fruit, honey, which are bought in bulk and distributed on the day. People bring their own containers to fill and share in the work of weighing and distributing. There's always foods and chatter. One person is responsible for coordinating this, includes sending order forms, processing orders and placing order with buyers.

3.Seasonal Celebrations
We have quarterly ‘Seasonal Celebrations’ where we meet together to eat, socialise and share how the WOC is running. Sometime there has been a particular focus area – bottling fruit, spining and felt-making, eating locally. One person is responsible for coordinating this, includes placing invitations in everyone’s boxes several weeks in advance.

These are a good opportunity to meet others as well as a chance for the WOC members to make any changes or decisions to how the collective is running.

once a year

1.AGM
AGM, usually Jan/Feb at which new committee members are elected. Role descriptions are available from the President. We encourage rotation of these positions so everyone shares the “WOC experience” and gets to contribute to its success.

2.Membership
Annual membership fee of $15. Covers overheads of buying passes, administration materials, postage.
WOC membership is available if you
(a)live in the Footscray/ Maribyrnong area
(b)you are able to help in the running of the WOC (see ‘What would it involve for me?’)
(c)there is a vacancy – a limit of 25 households applies (there is a waiting list if we’re full).

SOC membership was $30 so we could buy a quarterly/half yearly parking pass. Otherwise it’s <$12 per week for parking which comes out of vegie money.

3.Annual Renewal and Fee to Consumer Affairs Victoria
To be completed by the Public Officer.

Other events

- educational events (Movies on food & farming related matters)
- activism/ involvement in political action on behalf – (eg. took a WOC box to local member of parliament to make comment on proposed introduction of genetically modified crops into Victoria).

Back to Intro page