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

~ C A S E S T U D I E S• contact distributors and retailers regularly• update inventories• develop new markets• hold regular board meetings• pursue funding opportunities in the form of start-up grants and loans• get involved with research and resource management initiatives regarding nontimber forestproducts• develop co-operation among co-operatives; find out about similar groups, producingsimilar goods, so you develop products that compliment one another rather than competewith one anotherDON’T• worry about having everything in place before embarking on such a venture; planning isgood, but things won’t happen if you don’t start!• structure your organization too rigidly (e.g., requiring _ of your membership to be presentin order to have a quorum for your annual general meeting is difficult to attain)• duplicate existing products and promotional material—be distinctive• try to do too much at once. THINK BIG BUT START SMALL!!Q. What kind of further assistance would you like to have from government?A.• seed funding to reach a self-sustaining level of production and marketing• grants available at any time throughout the year are much more helpful than those havingdeadlines for application• free workshops or seminars on co-op and corporate management principlesQ. What kind of further assistance would you like to have from the sector?A. Not sure what “the sector” is. If we are talking about the nontimber forest products sector,there is often a need to regulate the harvest of forest botanical products to prevent overharvestingand to promote resource stewardship. This might take the form of some sort oflicense or land-based tenure, but this needs to be carefully developed in conjunction with localFirst Nations and other community interests. We don’t want to follow the “get rich quick”mentality of the pine mushroom industry.~ 389