There are a lot of changes happening as The Co-op hit a pretty bad patch when The Co-op Bank suffered some serious losses. I was a bit miffed to find out that The Co-op now only owns 20% of The Co-op Bank as I bank with Smile and own a Co-op Member Credit Card.
But being now an employee and a colleague member is in a different league. I went to the 'Back to being Co-op' session on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The idea is to go back to The Co-op's roots, i.e. the Rochdale pioneers who pooled together to open a shop where they'd sell proper flour, not chalk.
And yesterday, I met some of the Food Business' Quality Assurance team - how they verify potential suppliers' credentials and check products supplied. Is this olive oil really extra virgin??? Stuff that doesn't sell gets passed onto FareShare who redistribute to local charities. I got a goodie bag of toilet paper, crisps, mackerel and apple. :) And said goodie bag is made from recycled material: check this entry on The Co-op's blog.
:)
I'm also part of the Taste Team so yesterday we got a sample of Italian meats like Parma Ham and Salami. And on Wednesdays, there is a tasting session on the ground floor. Last week we had a lush goats cheese pizza, today granola! There was also a talk about a co-operative producing cocoa in the Ivory Coast that benefits from The Co-op's stance on fair trade.
Tomorrow I'll be lending my colleagues a hand at my local Co-op Store, promoting the new membership. 1% of what you spend on Co-op own brand products (and wills, and funeral plans) will go back to your community.
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