Business Workers People Products Cooperatives Types Parts Make

There are many different types of business cooperatives. A worker cooperative is a business owned "wholly" (completely) or partly by the workers. In some worker cooperatives, only workers are allowed to own shares or parts of the business. In other "hybrid" (combining two types of things) cooperatives, workers can be owners along with "consumers" (people who buy products or services), community members, and "investors" (people who put money into a business to try to make more money).

Most worker cooperatives are "democratically run," with each worker-owner having one vote. In this type of "corporate structure" (organization of a company), workers have to "balance" (consider) the interests of the workers with what makes sense for the "bottom line" (the financial situation of a business).

The U.S. company Ocean Spray is an example of an "agricultural" (related to growing crops for food or to make products) cooperative. An agricultural cooperative is a business where many "growers" (people who produce fruits, vegetables, and other things that go into making products for sale) work together under one company.

The company has "approximately" (about) 600 "member" (part of the organization by choice) growers in six U.S. states and in some parts of Canada. These growers produce "cranberries" (small red berry used for cooking) and "grapefruit" (a large yellow fruit, similar to oranges or lemons), which are used in their products. Ocean Spray produces many products including fruit juices, fruit snacks, and dried fruit.