Mumbai

SEG presents Is the co-op model right for you? segreenhouse.org Join SEG and local co-operatives for a panel discussion on the different types of co-op business models and determine whether the co-op option is right for you. Members of local organizations and cooperatives lead us in exploring the advantages and distinct features of the co-op model, the most appropriate model for a given enterprise sector, and the support available for co-op start-ups and existing organizations transforming into a co-op. The panel includes: Producer cooperative: Ocean Spray www.oceanspray.coop Dan Crocker, Vice President, Cooperative Development and Global Ingredients at Ocean Spray, came to Ocean Spray in 2007 as a Senior Attorney in the legal department. But, he says, his interest in the company and the work he could do here quickly grew. “Soon after I arrived, I learned that working for an agricultural cooperative could mean so much more,” he says. “I gravitated toward working on agricultural and grower issues, and found the work to be deeply rewarding and motivating.” In his job, he’s accountable for the integration and communication of the Cooperative’s business strategies, and leads the agricultural supply and operations, communications and sustainability teams to do so. In 2016, he added the role of overseeing the Cooperative’s Ingredient Technology Group (ITG). “I love the personal gratification that I get from knowing who I am working for—the Growers,” he says. Workers cooperative: Equal Exchange www.equalexchange.coop ​Bethany Karbowski, Community Events Coordinator and Worker/Owner at Equal Exchange, has been connecting community-based groups with fairly traded, organic products from small-scale farmer cooperatives around the world since 2013. Before that she worked in the fair trade sector with the non-profit organization Ten Thousand Villages, where she first discovered Equal Exchange and was drawn to their cooperative model. Bethany is passionate about educating US consumers about authentic fair trade and challenging the corporate food system. She lives in Providence.​ Consumer cooperative: Urban Greens www.urbangreens.com Philip Trevvett, Vice-Chairperson at Urban Greens, works at Harvard Medical School in the Center for Biomedical Informatics. He has lived primarily in Providence since 2002. He has volunteered with farming & food businesses and organizations such as Red Planet Vegetables, Beltane Dairy Farm, and Farm Fresh RI, and is an avid community gardener. He believes strongly in the need for regional food systems and local infrastructure and sees food co-ops as a key piece of the puzzle. Modertator: Mike Araujo, RI Jobs with Justice www.rijwj.wordpress.com Mike Araujo, Executive Director of RI Jobs with Justice, was born in the Bronx, but considers Rhode Island to be the most beautiful, because of its history, culture, landscape and people. Mike is committed to working for workplace equity and justice. The son of a Head­start teacher and a janitor at Brown University; his father was also the first Cape Verdean lightweight championship contender in 1951. He attended Our Lady of Providence Preparatory Seminary and Hope for High School and has worked as a short order cook and union organizer around the country. He the Business Agent of IATSE Local 23 and am currently a rank and file member of IATSE Local 481 and the Policy Director for Restaurant Opportunities Centers in New England. He serves as the Executive Director of RI Jobs with Justice, and his on the board of the Capital Good Fund, The Rhode Island AFL­CIO Executive Board, a founding member of the RI Workforce Equity Action Group, and the Labor History Society of Rhode Island. He is the proud father of Sarah, Xavier, and Eleanor. He looks forward to a more just and loving society.

• published: 12 Jun 2017
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