Producer or marketing co-op
Each member keeps their own farm; together they own the shared piece — a brand, a cooler, a truck, a wholesale relationship. Think: a valley of small farms that can't each fill a big order alone, selling under one name.
Kūpaʻa Kākou
A network of people and cooperatives sharing resources, knowledge, and community.
Join the Movement →Like the wai that moves from mauka to makai, we believe in an economy where resources circulate, nourish, and return — strengthening our communities for generations to come.
ʻĀina
Care for land and more than human kin
Meaʻai
Local food systems and resilient livelihoods
Waiwai
Keep resources circulating in community
Kaiāulu
Stronger together
ʻIke
Share knowledge and build capacity
Hana
Cooperative practice and collective action
Hawaiʻi Co-op Cohort
A year of learning together.
A WSARE grant-supported learning community for folks building agricultural co-ops across Hawaiʻi.
- December 2026 – November 2027
- Monthly virtual sessions + in-person workshops Hawaiʻi Island Molokaʻi Oʻahu Maui
- For producers, co-op members, leaders & developers
Express Interest →
No co-op needed yet.
He ʻĀina
He Lāhui
He Waiwai
He Lāhui
He Waiwai
Waiwai · Kaiāulu
A business owned by the people it serves.
You don't need to know the word "cooperative" to understand the idea. If you've ever lived in a family house where everybody chips in and everybody has a say, you already get it.
What is a co-op?
What it is. A co-op is a business owned by the people who use it or work in it — not outside investors. Members put in money or work, vote on the big decisions, and share the surplus.
Why it works. One owner carries all the risk. In a co-op, risk and reward are shared, every member gets one vote, and everyone is genuinely invested.
Why here. Laulima — many hands working together. A co-op is the legal structure for the same thing, and it keeps waiwai home, circulating in the kaiāulu instead of leaving.
The seven co-op principles
Set out by the International Cooperative Alliance and shared by co-ops around the world.
Open membership
One member, one vote
Members share the surplus
Members stay in charge
Keep learning together
Co-ops help co-ops
Care for the community
What a co-op can look like in Hawaiʻi
Four common shapes, each with a made-up Hawaiʻi example.
Worker-owned co-op
The crew owns the business and votes on how it runs. Think: a shared kitchen turning kalo, ʻulu, and surplus fruit into products, where the people who show up every morning are also the owners.
Shared services or purchasing co-op
Members pool buying power or share big-ticket things no single farm needs full time. Think: ranchers going in together on feed, fencing, and a portable chute, or growers sharing one bookkeeper.
Multi-stakeholder co-op
Farmers, workers, and community members each hold a seat. Think: a food hub where the growers who supply it, the staff who run it, and the families who buy from it all elect the board.
What the cohort is aiming for
- Co-op literacy. We'll work on being able to explain what a co-op is, which kind fits your situation, and what it takes to run one.
- Skills to run a business with other people. We'll practice how members make decisions, govern together, and keep the thing running when there's more than one owner.
- Pilina across the pae ʻāina. Pilina means relationship, or connection, and the pae ʻāina is the whole island chain. Our aim is that you leave with people on other islands doing the same work — people you can actually call.
- Support for your real project. Our aim is that you bring what you're working on — a co-op you're starting, strengthening, or helping — and get to work it through with others.
- The Hui after the cohort. The cohort ends in November 2027; the Hui doesn't. The Hui is a network, not a one-year program, and the cohort is one way in.
Who the cohort is for
Producers
Farmers, ranchers, growers, and other producers who want to work together instead of alone.
Co-op members and leaders
People already in a cooperative who want to make it stronger.
Emerging co-ops
Groups that are forming, or thinking about it, and don't want to guess their way through.
Cooperative development practitioners
The advisors, organizers, and technical-assistance folks who help co-ops start and grow.
Our Work
Strengthening an ecosystem of cooperatives across Hawaiʻi
The Hawaiʻi Co-op Hui connects people, organizations, and resources to grow a thriving cooperative economy rooted in ʻāina, culture, and community self-determination.
About Our Work →
E komo mai
Tell us what you're growing.
Curious about the cohort, thinking about a co-op, or already in one? Start here — this isn't a commitment, it just lets us know you're out there.
Prefer email? Write to kaimi@purplemaia.org.
Mahalo — we got it.
We'll be in touch as cohort details take shape. In the meantime, the readings and session recordings on the Resources page are a good place to start. E kahe ka wai.