Aboriginal Co-operatives in Canada - Centre for the Study of Co ...

A P P E N D I X I ~opened an account at the local credit union. SWAT put up the two hundred dollars to file thelegal papers, and the co-op became a reality when the Registrar of Companies signed off on thedocuments on 4 August 1998.Our interim board of directors consisted of four Gitxsan and two non-Native members. Thoughwe had a few dollars available from share sales, we would not have been able to get off theground that first year without a significant financial infusion. We applied to the Gitxsan-Wet’suwet’en Economic Development Corporation for a $5,000 start-up grant, which allowedus to buy wild huckleberries immediately that same summer. With some cash and some rawmaterials, we were now in business.Development of the Co-op and Its ProductsSince one of the co-op goals was to have local participation, we needed to attract the interest ofthe community, so we approached the Smithers Interior News, which featured the developmentof the co-op in a couple of articles in 1998. One of the articles included phone numbers for furtherinformation. In addition, we posted flyers around Hazelton and Smithers, advertising alabel contest and a huckleberry jam recipe contest with a two-hundred-dollar prize for each.The winning entry for the label contest was selected by the board from among three entries,and was later modified for use as our logo.There were twelve entries for the jam recipe contest and a jam-tasting party was held to selectthe winner. About fifteen members of the community met to taste and rate the jam entries in ablind-taste comparison. This party not only helped us to select a winner, but served to drum upenthusiasm for the co-op and brought in new members.Since our capital was limited, we primarily concentrated our efforts on the manufacture of oneproduct—wild huckleberry jam in 250 ml. jars. In the first year, keeping our motto “Think BigBut Start Small” in mind, we discussed many creative ideas for future development whilefocussing on the production of our flagship product. We introduced highbush cranberry jellythe next year as our second major product. Plans are to introduce a new product every season,while monitoring the success of existing products. Continued production depends on marketdemand. We are also experimenting with different sized jars, since requests have been madefor both larger and smaller sizes.Although we had decided to develop only one product in our first year, we did produce alimited supply of soapberry preserves because a co-op member traded sixty litres of soapberriesfor shares. We intend to continue this production, although soapberry preserves arenot likely to become a popular commercial product. The berries are widely available in thearea and are an important traditional food and tonic for both coastal and interior First Peoples.380 ~