What is a cooperative?

A cooperative, also known as a co-op, is a business owned and guided by the people directly connected to it. Instead of major decisions being made by faraway investors or senior executives, they are made by the members themselves. Decisions are grounded in the real experience of the worker-owners. Leadership and accountability are shared, building the cooperative on the foundation of participation. The structure values input, encourages responsibility, and creates space for people to work together to shape their shared future.

There are several different kinds of co-ops. Here’s a breakdown of the primary cooperative types:

• Consumer Cooperatives: Owned by members who buy goods or use services, such as food co-ops, credit unions, and housing cooperatives.

• Producer Cooperatives: Owned by people who produce goods (such as farmers or craftspeople) and join forces to process and market their products.

• Worker Cooperatives: Owned and governed by employees who hold the majority of shares, manage the business, and receive a share of the profits.

• Multi-Stakeholder/Hybrid Cooperatives: A combination of types, where different stakeholders (e.g., workers, consumers, and community members) hold membership together.

  
  

What kind of cooperative is Dean’s Beans?

We are a worker-owned cooperative. When our founder, Dean Cycon, retired in 2023 he sold the company to the employees. That means that the owners of Dean’s Beans are the same people who work at the Beanery every day. We are guided by a Board of Directors, made up of worker-owners and one or two outside board members. Dean remains on the Board of Directors and provides guidance and expertise.

The board shapes the vision for the future of the company, strategy, and policy, and provides guidance to our CEO. Worker cooperatives are built to prioritize people and community alongside the business itself. 

In our case, that shows up through democratic practices that guide how we operate. Each worker-owner owns an equal share of the company and has one vote in all elections. Leadership is not concentrated in a small group but shared across the team through ongoing participation in decisions that shape the company and the election of a governing board.

Being a worker-owned cooperative informs how we think about the future. We are building the company we own, and that creates a strong connection to our work and mission. There is a shared responsibility to think carefully, act thoughtfully, and support one another. Decisions about growth, investment, and the future of the company are made by the people most affected by them. Being a worker-owned cooperative encourages long-term thinking and a strong sense of responsibility to one another. We share in the successes and challenges of our company together.

Even though we’ve transitioned from being founder-led to worker ownership, our mission and purpose remain the same. Our entire team is deeply committed to, and guided by, our mission:  using specialty coffee as a vehicle for positive change.

What about the Farmer cooperatives?

The cooperatives we partner with are made up of farmers who come together to grow, process and sell their coffee collectively. Each member contributes their harvest, and together they make decisions about pricing and how to invest in their communities. By working as a group, farmers are able to access markets, benefit from shared drying and quality control infrastructure, and other support systems that would be difficult to sustain individually.

Farming cooperatives also create more stability. By pooling resources and coordinating efforts, members can improve quality, strengthen pricing and reduce risk. Members are paid fairly for their coffee, and profits are distributed back to members in the form of investment in community needs. Many of these cooperatives invest beyond coffee, reforestation, and Agroforestry training for farmers. They fund improvements in processing infrastructure, support education and healthcare, build roads and bridges, as well as improving environmental practices.

The connection between cooperatives is powerful. What we share with the farming cooperatives we partner with goes beyond similarities in structure.  Each major decision, on the farm and in the Beanery, is made democratically and carries us forward with shared belief in the future we’re building together.