Webinar on Food/Green Co-ops - 4th Feb 2026
Discover, Learn, Start a Co-op – Raising Awareness WebinarIf you have ever wondered how communities can take control of...
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Results for: "Case Study"
Blog articles:
From Charity to Co‑op: Dialogue Practitioners
We sat down with Dialogue Practitioners Co‑operative to ask them about their journey. Here's what they told us about peacebuilding...
Building Community, One Home at a Time
What if your housing estate was designed for connection, not just convenience? Belfast Cohousing is turning that idea into reality...
The Shop the Community Built
When a town loses its greengrocer, it loses more than a shop. Carrick Greengrocers stepped in to take back the high street – and t...
Jubilee Farm - a case study
Jubilee Farmwww. jubilee. coopTwo years on from their successful share offer, which raised £309, 020 to purchase the farm and farm...
Good to Grow - a case study
Good to Grow Co-operativeGood to Grow Facebook 1 Why did you choose to become a co-op? Armed with a passion for horticulture and a...
NICE Ltd - a case study
NICE (Northern Ireland Community Energy)www. nicommunityenergy. orgType of BusinessNorthern Ireland’s first community solar energy...
Events:
Videos:
February 5, 2026
2025 - Discover Learn Start Co-ops - Food Co-ops
January 23, 2026
2025 - Discover Learn Start-up Co-ops - An Introduction to Co-ops
December 11, 2025
2025 - Discover Learn Start Co-ops - Retrofit Co-ops
November 21, 2025
2025 - Discover Learn Start Co-ops - Care Co-ops
June 4, 2025
New Co-op on the Block: Dialogue Practitioners Co-op
October 18, 2022
New Co-op on the Block: Northern Construction Co-operative
Resources:
Co-operative-led Solutions to Addressing the Climate Emergency
This policy brief was written by Eleonore Perrin (University of Liverpool) with the help of Tiziana O'Hara (Co-operative Alternatives) in 2021. A quick summary. A co-operative economy would mean a democratised local ecosystem where the production and supply of food and other essential goods and services serves all those involved. A local ecosystem where food and essential goods are produced through community supported agriculture, by co-operative farms and fisheries, in local community gardens. A local ecosystem where we shop in farmers markets, worker-owned bakeries and butchers, and in consumer-owned shops. A local ecosystem where we work in worker-owned factories and firms, producing socially useful goods and services. A local ecosystem where we live in collectively owned houses, powered by community renewable energy. A local ecosystem where we bank in a regional mutual bank and put our savings in credit unions.
The challenges of emerging co-operatives in Northern Ireland
This research was conducted by Tebibu Solomon in 2021, while completing a Master degree at the University College Cork (UCC) and intern at Co-operative Alternatives. Quick summary:Co-operatives are business enterprises that are democratically controlled and owned by their members and which work in the interests of their members. The cooperative business model plays a significant role in the modern economy, primarily in building a strong local economy. Nonetheless, despite the advanced development of co-operatives, many emerging co-operatives fail short of their full potential and sometimes do not succeed in achieving their business objectives. Co-operatives encounter challenges down the business wire due to factors originating from both internal and external environments. Additionally, the limited availability of literature to provide adequate prior knowledge of potential barriers and challenges to emerging co-ops has also contributed to the struggle of many co-ops. To this end, this study is intended to systematically explore the challenges encountered by emerging co-operatives and draw potential strategies to tackle them. Therefore, the qualitative study was conducted involving seven emerging co-operatives operating in different sectors in Northern Ireland. These seven co- operatives are/were receiving facilitation and consultancy from Co-operative Alternatives, the leading co-operative development body in Northern Ireland.
Inclusive Growth Strategy: a Co-operative Perspective in Northern Ireland
This policy brief was written by Eleonore Perrin (University of Liverpool) with the help of Tiziana O'Hara (Co-operative Alternatives), Mary McManus and Lee Robb in 2021. Quick summary: Community Wealth Building is an integrated collaborative approach to transforming the local economy where the local community is the main beneficiary. It harnesses the power of anchor institutions i. e. colleges, universities, hospitals, local authorities that have significant wealth to shift economic development in favour of procuring locally, encouraging sustainable work practices and living wage employment, offering services that benefit residents.
