Economic Principles of Cooperatives

User-Owned: The people who own and finance the co-op are those who use it

User-Controlled: The people who use the co-op control it via “One Member-One Vote” on major organization decisions and electing board of directors

User-Benefited: The sole purpose of the cooperative is to provide and distribute benefits to members on the basis of their use of the services of the cooperative. (Operation (Service) at Cost, Patronage Refunds, Improved Pricing, Market Access to Goods and Services otherwise not available)