Local foods are becoming an interest to more and more people within the City of Dryden but there are still many questions surrounding its potential benefits to both producers of local foods and consumers.

More specifically, we are looking for other ways to support our local farmers and the larger community as a whole, in addition to the traditional farmers' markets. The desire to create a co-op is not new; in 2004 a feasibility study and business plan were created, known as the "Dryden Rural Infrastructure Project?, to further investigate the viability of this venture. The study identified that a co-op would be successful in Dryden.

A steering committee, comprised of interested producers, consumers, health educators, and community developers has been created in order to get a scope of the different perspectives on a co-op development.

A co-op will:

• Be unique to the area
• Benefit the local economy
• Address local food security issues
• Provide the community with healthy local foods

What is a co-op?

The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) defines a co-operative as "an autonomous association of persons untied voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprises.? Co-operatives are business organizations that are owned and operated by their members for a mutual benefit. Co-ops benefit the local economy by allowing the dollars to circulate, provide employment and can sustain healthy communities.

Benefits of a Co-op

• More sources of capital given the number of its members (compared with other business forms)
• Governments and funders generally favour co-op development grants and start-up loans
• Since the members are owners, they will take more pride and have more motivation to see the co-op's success
• Co-ops offer the opportunity to expand networking, sharing of ideas and expertise
• Can benefit from limited liability ? standard corporate protection
• Can easily sell shares to other members (does not matter how many shares a member has, they only get one vote)