Working together can achieve what individuals often can’t do alone. That’s the power of collaboration—and it’s the foundation of a cooperative. According to the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), more than 12 percent of the world’s population—around one billion people—are members of approximately 3 million cooperatives worldwide.
A cooperative—often called a co-op—is a business owned and run by the people who use its services, buy its products, or work there. Instead of focusing on profi