Fifth Season Co-op Receives Support and Cooperation from Local Co-ops
by Nicole Penick, Valley Stewardship Network
Creating a cooperative business is no small task. Creating a multi-stakeholder co-op with diverse members of the local food chain has been a rewarding task for all involved. As 2012 begins, Fifth Season Cooperative is hard at work planning for the future—and it looks bright thanks to all of our members and cooperative partners!
Jan Rasikas, General Manager of the Viroqua Food Co-op has been serving on our Advisory Council since the very beginning in 2010. Her insights about cooperative management and putting cooperative values into practice have been invaluable to our new business.
The Westby Cooperative Creamery, a farmer owned co-op, has been a strong supporter of Fifth Season Co-op. Organic Valley/CROPP ‘s support has taken many forms, all of which have contributed to our first year’s successes. Part of our plans for the 2012 growing season include highlighting the local products from each of these cooperatives and working together to bring local foods into our region’s institutions.
In the fall of 2011, we welcomed Reinhart Food Service as a Distributor Member. They too are learning the cooperative principles and working with us to distribute 2600 pounds of fresh produce from Ridgeland Harvest, Keewaydin Organics, and GROWN Locally.
GROWN Locally is a farmer owned cooperative in Decorah IA. We look forward to working with them in the new year, building a viable regional food system built around fresh produce, local meats and dairy products. We are also exploring new value-added products to help increase markets for farmers in the Driftless Region.
To learn more about Fifth Season Cooperative, please visit our website at www.fifthseason.coop or contact Diane Chapeta at 608-634-4848 or email
dchapeta.fifthseason@gmail.com We offer a Class B Series 1 preferred stock for Community Supporter Members. It is a $500 minimum investment with an annual dividend of 5%. It is available to WI residents only. Redemption is at the discretion of the board.