About our Cooperative

 

 

 

 

We are worker-owned

 

A worker-owned cooperative is a form of employee ownership, and that means that every person who works at Niles Pie has the opportunity to own the business. Strategic decision making is democratic, adhering to the principle of one member, one vote. Profits are earned based on hours worked. Our cooperative has a traditional management structure, along with participatory culture and representative democracy with an elected board.

 

 

What does our cooperative look like?

 

 

Our worker owners now govern our company. While our daily operations look like a "regular" business to the naked eye, there's more going on just under the surface. Our worker owners make decisions about things like the workplace governance, annual budget, company direction and strategy. They also share in the profits and risks of the company on an equal basis. Not all our staff are members of the cooperative, and we may always be a mix of owners and employees, but we strive for an ownership culture and a democratically governed workplace. Our goal is to get as many of our staff to become worker-owners as possible because we believe it will make us a stronger company. We're all in this together.

 

 

Why?

 

 

 

As a company, we believe in the democratic process and strive to provide stability and opportunity, with dignity and growth. We believe in a just economy, where everyone's work is valued. Our purpose in becoming a cooperative is to make Niles Pie an enduring company that offers worker-owners job stability and career opportunities in the local community and in the local food industry. In short, we believe that the best way for Niles Pie to continue to grow and prosper is to make sure the focus of our business is on both the quality of our product and the people who make, serve, and sell it.

 

 

The Seven Cooperative Principles

 

The International Co-operative Alliance is the global steward of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity – the Values and Principles of the cooperative movement.  

Learn about the ICA, their work, and the cooperative principles.

 

 

Learn some more about us and how we got here. 

 

Articles about our journey from a sole proprietorship to worker ownership

Articles about how awesome we are

And, for fun, reaching way back to the origins