Cooperative A Us

Sydney Energy Cooperative. (New South Wales): About: The Sydney Energy Cooperative is a not-for-profit environmental organisation that aims to involve the general community in energy-related activities. The recent increase in public awareness of environmental and energy issues is very impressive and welcome. However, this has often led to more talk than action. The Energy Cooperative is all about linking a concerned public with practical activities that benefit the environment. Who founded the cooperative and Why? The Cooperative was founded in June of 2007 by students of the Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering program at the University of New South Wales, who recognized the opportunity to add their technical knowledge to the resources of the general community to carry out effective energy activities. Main Activities: The cooperative intends to be involved in four main areas: (1) Lighting installations - We help members and the public to change to more efficient forms of lighting; (2) Joint purchase of solar panels - We have secured supply of low cost, high quality solar modules available to members and the public. (3) Education - Together with Green Geeks, we will be conducting energy focused workshops. Information can also be accessed by participating in the forums. Community: As a community cooperative, the involvement of its members defines the success of the cooperative. Information on how to become a member and ways of participating in the cooperative can be found on the membership page. Funding: The Sydney Energy Cooperative is an autonomous organisation, unaffiliated with any political organisations and relies heavily on volunteer effort. Donations to help the running of the cooperative are gratefully accepted.

Mulgrave Mills Cooperative (Queensland) Established in 1896, the Mulgrave Central Mill continues to produce raw sugar 25 km south of Cairns as a grower co-operative, receiving cane from around 300 farms and approx. 200 suppliers. Each year during the crush season (around 22-24 weeks each year) cane is gathered from a 17,000 hectare area which produces approximately 91 tonnes of cane per hectare. This cane (about 1.3 million tonnes) is crushed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the mill at a rate of 450 tonnes per hour. The crush produces about 160,000 tonnes of sugar annually. Due to low crops in recent seasons Mulgrave Mill has been operating on a 5 and 6 day basis. Mulgrave Mill operations contribute directly and indirectly over $106 million annually and sustains 1260 jobs in the Cairns economy. Part of the Mill's operations include the maintenance of its 232 kilometre cane railway system, which allows for cane to be hauled with no impact on local roads. Mulgrave Mill generates all of the power required by the crush in addition to exporting electricity to the State grid. History: The first Mulgrave Mill crush of 13,973 tonnes of cane was from October 1896 to March 1897. The rate of 1,500 tonnes in the first month bears little comparison with the current rate of 450 tonnes per hour. The Mill was established under the Sugar Works Guarantee Act where the landholders mortgaged their lands to the government as security against the mill loan. The Mulgrave Tramway was operational for the second season and continues as the efficient mode of transport for cane to this day.

The book titled "By strong Arms" was written for the Mulgrave Mill centenary in 1995 by local author and canegrower, Clive Morton, and provides a wealth of information on the social, economic and business experiences of the local sugar industry.

From some 260 pages, a few milestone facts that set the scene are informative bearing in mind that Mulgrave Mill now typically produces significantly more than one million tonnes of cane per year. YEAR

MILESTONE TONNES

TONNES PRODUCED

1917 1929 1936 1962 1964 1975 1984 1988 1992

100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000

108,650 207,857 353,538 405,488 551,155 638,954 768,678 844,919 1,327,981

Expansion: Since 1992, around $33 million has been spent on factory and cane railway upgrades. These upgrades have contributed to operational needs as well as providing social and economic benefits to the community and enhancing the sustainability of the industry. Specific works undertaken included:

• • • • • • • • • • •

cane rail upgrades in the Redlych / Freshwater area, upgrade of sidings over the whole Mill area; contribution to the overpass on the Bruce Highway south of Edmonton; increased cane bin storage; new weigh bridge / tipper; new cane conveyors; upgrade evaporator / filters; reorganisation of plant; shredder capacity extended; installation of new No 1 Mill; installation of 2 fugals; installation of vacuum pan.

Prior to the transfer of Hambledon cane, Mulgrave Mill operated in a viable manner with a ten year average of some 96,000 tonnes of sugar each year. Throughput is maintained at a much higher level where average production is maintained at over 150,000 tonnes of sugar per year.

The Melbourne University Food Coop The Melbourne University Food Coop a Melbourne Uni institution that every student should visit at least once during their degree (and of course, who can stop at once?). It's the only place on campus where you'll find cheap, healthy vegetarian & vegan food. Most of it is organic/biodynamic and ethically produced by small farmers and businesses too. Also, all the Co-op's food is free from genetically modified (GM) ingredients, which means you know what you're eating. The Co-op is a thriving model of alternative enterprise encouraging community participation and local empowerment for students and the wider public since 1975 and it's only gotten better with age! The Co-op's lunch food section takes in both sweet and savoury, and is organic and vegan in most cases. It also caters for special dietary requirements, including wheat free. It has certified organic and Halal pies, pasties and rolls, as well as salad rolls, pizza, rice balls, biodynamic juices and for the sweet tooth: muffins galore, divine cakes, crumble, coconut balls, friends and Turkish Delight. Wander down the back, and you'll find the bulk food section a kaleidoscope of tastes and colours for making healthy meals. While the Co-op does have some recycled and new containers and bags available for

shoppers, there's nothing better than bringing your own jars and bags to fill with co-op goodies. And if you have any spare, you can leave them at the co-op for others to use. The bulk food section is super cheap, mostly organic or biodynamic, and grown locally & includes dried fruits, nuts, coffee and teas, loads of herbs and spices, grains, pulses, cereals, flours, oils, syrups, condiments, vinegars, honey, pasta, noodles, rices, beans, peanut butter, tofu, tempeh, and soy and rice milks. The Co-op is also about to publish a cookbook to tell you what to do with all the wonderful things you can buy there. There's also a wide selection of health and toiletries products including soaps, shampoos and conditioners, rad-pads, tampons, toilet paper, and environmentally friendly household cleaning products. But the best part of the Co-op is that it's a real co-operative - that means it's run by its members. Anyone can become a member, simply by volunteering for two hours a week. You don't even have to be a student at Melbourne Uni. Members' volunteer work is integral to the running and sustaining of the Co-op., and in return, members receive a discount on lunch foods and 20% off bulk foods. But you definitely don't have to be a member to shop at the Co-op. All decisions for the Co-op are made by the members' collective at fortnightly meetings. The Co-op is nonhierarchical and has a consensus decision-making process that enables everyone to be involved. There are also three coordinators who are employed to facilitate the daily running of the shop. The Co-op runs on a not-for-profit basis whereby the food is marked up just enough to cover the costs of running the shop. The Co-op encourages people to bring their own bags and containers for lunch and bulk shopping. This urges people to take responsibility for the waste they produce. Unlike other shops on campus, the Co-op sells all its lunch food without any packaging. You can even get a real plate or cup for your food or drink. The Co-op is about reclaiming access and changing the conditions of food production and distribution. By regaining power over the food we eat - and specifically where we shop and thus where our money goes - we can become more environmentally active and socially and politically aware about how our spending can support local, ethical business. The Co-op is also a place where people can openly exchange skills, passions and knowledge, and educate each other and the wider community about sustainable food production and consumption, social justice and environmental issues.

Namoi Cotton Cooperative: Corpor ate P rof ile Namoi Cotton is Australia's leading cotton ginning and marketing organisation. We are a fully integrated ginning, marketing, warehousing and shipping organisation selling cotton to many of the world's major cotton processing markets. Namoi Cotton was formed as a grower co-operative in 1962 by a small group of pioneering cotton growers in the Lower Namoi Valley. The initial harvest came from just two growers who planted a total of 26 hectares, picking 96 bales. It built its first cotton gin at Wee Waa, New South Wales in 1963 and processed 1,413 bales. From these humble beginnings Namoi Cotton has evolved into a fully integrated ginning, marketing, warehousing and shipping organisation selling cotton to many of the world's major markets. It now has an extensive network of gins and marketing offices throughout the cotton growing regions of southern Queensland and New South Wales. Namoi Cotton is one of Australia's largest processors and marketers of cotton and has built a strong reputation among its customers for reliably providing cotton of a consistently high standard and uniform quality. Namoi Cotton gins approximately 25-30% of the Australian crop each year, with the capacity to gin one million bales and markets almost 25-30% of the Australian crop. In April 1998 Namoi Cotton listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, the first entity to do so whilst retaining its Co-operative status.

Namoi Cotton employs approximately 120 full time staff and over 300 seasonal and casual employees.

Corpor ate Object iv es Our Vision

To be the leading processing, marketing and services organisation in the Australian cotton industry.

Our Mission

To deliver quality products and services to our customers; and To deliver superior financial results and build wealth for shareholders.

Our Values

Shareholders - to make decisions that deliver consistent returns and long term growth. Quality - to continuously improve the reliability and consistency of our processes, products and services. People - to create an environment where people are satisfied and motivated to achieve high levels of performance. Safety - Working safely is more important than time, production, cost or employment. Customer Service - to deliver products and services that meet or exceed our customer expectation.

Barossa Community Co-operative Australia’s Leading Consumer Cooperative. History: In 1944 the local shopping community rallied to purchase Sheards Department Store in Nuriootpa, South Australia. One of Australia's most successful Retail Co-operatives was born with an initial issue of 7500 one pound shares held in trust by the first Board of Directors. Expansion was undertaken over the years with the opening of Barossa's first Self Serve Foodland Supermarket in 1965. Likewise the hardware division was rebuilt and expanded in 1978. The furniture division was opened in 1987 to cater for the expanding residential development. Membership in the Co-operative rapidly grew to in excess of 12,000 members. Major expansion and redevelopment became very evident as the Co-operative fought to fulfill the community's growing needs. In 1994 the Co-operative borrowed extensively to purchase a major parcel of commercial land to the south of the town. This land included a large "Mitre 10" hardware store which gave opportunity to merge and relocate the Co-operative's existing hardware division to the new site. Plans were underway to develop the Co-operative's own shopping centre. In November 1998 the Co-operative opened "The Barossa Regional Shopping Centre" housing a state of the art 4000m2 IGA Foodland Supermarket and potential for 8 specialty shops. This bold move released 2000m2 of prime floor space in the main street department store site when the supermarket relocated to the new shopping centre. The "Betta" electrical division opened in March 1999 and major refurbishment of the department store was completed in mid 1999. The Co-operative is continually developing its retail operation to consolidate its rapid sales growth. The Co-operative's buying and marketing functions have been strengthened with membership to the following buying groups:- Foodland, Betta Electrical, Mitre 10, Homemakers, Carpet Court, Toyworld, Sportspower and Frontline. Employing 280 staff, the Co-operative continues to offer state of the art facilities, an emphasis on quality service, and a rebate to Members (subject to profits) at the end of each trading year.

CCW - Grape Supplier Cooperative CCW, the largest grape supply Co-operative in Australia, annually supplies in excess of 200,000 tonnes of grapes to the nation’s largest wine company, Constellation Wines Australia (formerly Hardy Wine Company).

The suppliers to the Co-operative are committed to producing quality wine grapes and providing as much fruit as possible to Constellation Wines Australia.

Background CCW was formed in 1981 from the merger of two Riverland co-operatives – Berri Co-op Winery & Distillery Ltd and Renmano Wines Co-op Ltd – with the main aim to produce wine from shareholders’ fruit and offer a satisfactory return to CCW growers on fruit delivery. In 1989 CCW was restructured, forming the publicly unlisted company Berri Renmano Limited, now Constellation Wines Australia "CWAU", (formerly Hardy Wine Company Limited) and shifted its equity holding into the International Wine Investment Fund (formerly the Wine Trust of Australia). CCW has secured investments to provide funding to meet CCW’s operational costs. As a result of the structural changes, CCW’s main business activity became that of a grape trader providing substantial tonnages of grapes from the Riverland region under a preferred supplier agreement. Currently CWAU receives in excess of 200,000 tonnes of grapes a year from CCW under the preferred supplier agreement.

Australian Fruit Marketing Co-operative Nestled in Australia's premium strawberry growing region, the Yarra Valley is highly respected for farms producing raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. This is where, in 1997, a group of fruit growers with over 95 years of collective experience established the Australian Fruit Marketing Cooperative which is now trading as Aussie Growers Fruit. Products: Wide range of products. Various kinds of Jam.