Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations.  

Purchasing Cooperatives: Business owned and managed by individual businesses that who together to collectively purchase their inputs. (e.g. Farmers collectively purchasing fertiliser, shop-keepers clubbing together to collectively purchasing their supplies)  

Marketing (Producer) Cooperatives: Businesses owned and managed by individual producers whose produce or output it sells. (e.g. farmers) 

Supplier Cooperatives: Businesses owned and managed by their suppliers (e.g. dairies owned by the farmers who supply to it; fruit processing plants owned by the farmers who supply to it; credit cards owned by banks who supply it with finance)  

Consumer Cooperatives: Businesses owned and managed by their customers (e.g. shops, credit unions, housing associations) 

Worker Cooperatives: Businesses owned and managed by their workers 

Multi-stakeholder cooperatives: Businesses owned and managed by more than one of its stakeholders