Our Co-op

Welcome

We are Canberra’s Food Co-op, a community-run organisation that provides food for people, not for profit. We’re the longest running food co-op on the lands known as Australia!

Our passion is providing low-waste, affordable, locally-sourced, wholesome, fair trade, organic and sustainable products to the community. All in an environment that fosters participation, cooperation, diversity and fun!

Members own the co-op, share the benefits of it and have the opportunity to work to contribute to it’s daily functioning.

The Co-op is managed with consensus-based decision making and all members are invited to participate.

Our Structure

(Diagram to come!)

Our Roles

Working Members

Working members form the backbone of the Co-op and do the majority of the work to keep things rolling! All members are invited to work in the Co-op in a large range of tasks that covers almost the entirety of co-op functioning.

The commitment and responsibility of working member roles is as great as the range of roles themselves. From drop-in ‘vollies’, to activity teams, to working groups helping to nut-out and organise critical aspects of the Co-op’s running, to the Board who provides ultimate legal oversight.

See our Become a member page for more details about members’ eligibility for a discount on purchases when becoming a working member.

Below are some of our key working member roles!

Some current working member tasks:

Yoghurt making
Polystyrene and soft plastic recycling
Tea towel washing
Bread collecting
Baking
Preserving
Lunch service help
Lunchtime dish help

Data entry
Gardening
Friday dry goods delivery unpacking
Fresh produce box packing
Fresh delivery
Fresh produce fridge packing
Lunch preparation
Helping out at events

Cleaning team
Jar cleaning team
Cheese cutting
Graphic design
Programming
Finances
Printing
Flyer & poster distribution
Product research

Shop & Cafe Coordinators

Shop & Cafe Coordinators are the greeting-face of our Co-op. Coordinators open and close the shop/cafe, serve shoppers/cafe goers and keep the spaces clean and welcoming.

Shop Coordies also keep our shelves stocked, sign up new members and provide guidance and oversight to drop-in members wanting to fill their working member hours.

Cafe Coordies also serve lunchgoers at the cafe till, make hot and cold drinks, serve our member-made baked goods and support lunchtime staff.

Our Shop & Cafe Coordinators receive store credit in return for their time and dedication.

Chat with a Coordinator on shift or get in touch with our Working Members Manager if you’re interested in finding out more about this critical and rewarding role that places you at the centre of things at the Co-op!

Board Members

The board meets monthly on the second Monday of every month. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend board meetings – have your say on the running of our Co-op!

Our board is responsible for the broad strategic decisions and oversight of the Co-op.

Our board members receive the general working member discount for their important work.

Working Groups

We have a number of working groups that aim to improve various aspects of our Co-op. All members are welcome to join whatever working groups speak to your interests! Current working groups:

Communications working group
Space revamp working group

Finance working group
People Power working group

Activity Teams

We have a number of activity-based working member teams that are managed by the Working Members Manager.

Currently these teams are:

Washing tea towels

Yoghurt-making

Cleaning

Hidden – Additional Working Member roles

Acoustic Soup Coordinator – organises our monthly Acoustic Soup dinner and music fundraiser night!

Working Group Coordinators –

Co-managers

The Co-managers a responsible for overseeing the day-to-day goings on of the Co-op. They work hard. We love them.

Our Co-managers receive part-time salaries in return for their big-time commitment and efforts.

In addition to general duties, our Co-managers’ roles are differentiated by the following:

Our Ordering Manager takes care of everything related to what you find on the shelf! This includes corresponding with suppliers, taking care of invoices and liaising with members in regards to bulk order inquiries and product suggestions/feedback.

Our Working Members Manager organises the huge number and variety of working members and their roles and comes up with creative ways to bring everyone in for the ride.

Our General Manager takes care of everything else!

Fresh Produce Coordinator

Our Fresh Produce Coordinator liaises with our fresh produce suppliers every week, processes our deliveries and looks after our Fresh Produce Box program.

Our Fresh Produce Coordinator receives a casual wage in return for their life-giving skills and expertise.