Purpose, Mission and Values
Central Co-op is a business that belongs to the people who use it – people who have organized to provide themselves with the goods and services they need. Our purpose, mission and values statements reflect the intentions of our membership, the owners of Central Co-op.Our Purpose
The purposes for which Central Co-op is formed are:- To work towards the community’s providing itself with wholesome food and products that are produced and distributed in a manner respectful of the earth and its people;
- To empower the community to educate itself;
- To engage in the business of buying and selling goods and services as a retailer according to consumer cooperative and financially sound principles; and
- To engage in all such activities as are incidental or conducive to attainment of the purposes of the Co-op or any of them, and to exercise all powers now or hereinafter permitted by the State of Washington for corporations formed under the Miscellaneous and Mutual Corporations Act, Chapter RCW 24.06 or any successor statute.
Our Mission
Central Co-op is a member-owned natural foods cooperative in the heart of Seattle dedicated to sustainable practices, community accountability, and the local food economy.(adopted by the Board of Trustees, November 7, 2008)
Our Values
We value:The Cooperative Principles
- Voluntary and open membership
- Democratic member control
- Member economic participation
- Autonomy and independence
- Education, training, and information
- Cooperation among cooperatives
- Concern for community
Community empowerment, institutional accountability, and personal and environmental health;
Operating our business holistically, recognizing our social responsibility and our commitment to the restoration and health of the environment;
Safeguarding our member-owners' trust by conducting our business in a financially sound manner;
Operating our business on a human scale by honoring the inherent value of the individual and maintaining an open and friendly atmosphere;
Conducting ourselves and our business with honesty and integrity;
Acting responsibly by providing a diverse selection of high-quality, healthful products, by serving as a resource for information, and by responding to the needs of our member-owners and the broader community;
Celebrating diversity by encouraging ourselves and others to act with acceptance and mutual respect.
