Bee Coop is here to help you learn about and form cooperatives.

At first glance, a business and a bumblebee’s nest might seem worlds apart. However, the bustling community inside a hollow log or an abandoned mouse burrow reveals itself serves as an examples of cooperative enterprise.

A cooperative is defined as "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise." In this context, the "persons" are the bumble bees, and their "enterprise" is the survival and prosperity of the colony. Their entire existence is a testament to the power of working together.

A bumble bee colony is a living, breathing cooperative enterprise. It is built on the values of self-help (each bee performs its task), self-responsibility (the colony relies on its own efforts), democracy (collective decision-making), equality (each bee's contribution is vital), equity (resources are shared according to need), and solidarity (they survive or fail together). They operate with a profound social responsibility and caring for others that ensures not only their own survival but also the health of the world around them. The bumble bee reminds us that the most successful enterprises are not necessarily the most competitive, but the most cooperative.