HOULTON, Maine — Jon McLaughlin, executive director of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation (SADC), announced Friday that there is a group of local niche agricultural and home-based businesses working to establish a co-op in Houlton.
“The project is in its infancy stage at this time” explained McLaughlin. “In talking to a lot of local producers it became apparent that there is a need for a location that many can sell their product year round. They can’t take the time from their regular jobs to attend shows on a regular basis to sell their items so the intent is to find a location where producers can bring in their product, place it in a leased cubicle to be displayed and have a full-time person manning the co-op to take money from the sales of product.”
McLaughlin continued, “Research is being done on the proper set up of a co-op, development of by-laws and determining funding levels for co-operative memberships. In addition to produce, the co-op is expected to be available to home-based businesses that produce health care products, soaps, high-end crafts, homeopathic medicines, laundry detergents and more. It is amazing how diversified this County is in what is being produced in someone’s kitchen, basement or workshop. It is intended that the co-op will be open for all County wide businesses.”
A co-op is a firm owned, controlled, and operated by a group of users for their own benefit. Each member contributes equity capital, and shares in the control of the firm on the basis of one-member, one-vote principle (and not in proportion to his or her equity contribution).
McLaughlin said there is a lot of organization work to be done, but that it is the goal to have the co-op up and running by July. For more information contact Jon McLaughlin at (207) 521-0157 or sadc@aroostook21.com.