Brands That Are Cooperatives: Who Owns Them

Yes, many familiar US brands are owned by cooperatives. Ocean Spray, Land O'Lakes, Sunkist, Blue Diamond, Welch's, Cabot, Tillamook, Organic Valley, Florida's Natural, Sun-Maid and Darigold are all owned by farmer co-ops. REI is a consumer co-op owned by its members, and Ace Hardware is a retailer-owned co-op. In each case the owners are the people who supply or use the business, not outside shareholders, and the earnings go back to them. This page lists the brands, the co-op behind each, what it makes and where the owner says so.

Every ownership statement below comes from the co-op's or brand's own website. Member counts are given only where the co-op states one, and they change from year to year, so check the linked page for the current figure.

US brands and the co-ops that own them

Brand	Co-op that owns it	Who the members are	What it makes or sells	Source
Ocean Spray	Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.	Around 700 family farmers; its farmer directory lists members in the US, Canada and Chile	Cranberry juice, dried cranberries and sauces	Ocean Spray, Our farmers
Land O'Lakes	Land O'Lakes, Inc.	Farmers and ag retailers; its site lists 1,125+ dairy members, 475 ag producers and 840+ retail owners	Butter, dairy and animal feed	Land O'Lakes, Who we are
Sunkist	Sunkist Growers	California and Arizona citrus growers; more than 1,500 growers in its 130th anniversary release	Fresh citrus	Sunkist press room
Blue Diamond	Blue Diamond Growers	California almond growers; about 3,000 growers, mostly small family farms (its site)	Almonds, Almond Breeze almondmilk and snack nuts	Blue Diamond, About our cooperative
Welch's	National Grape Co-operative Association	Concord and Niagara grape farmers; over 600 family farmer owners (Welch's site)	Grape juice, jelly and fruit snacks	Welch's, Foodservice
Cabot	Agri-Mark	Farm families who own Cabot Creamery Cooperative, which is part of Agri-Mark	Cheddar and other dairy	Cabot, About
Tillamook	Tillamook County Creamery Association	Farm families in Tillamook County, Oregon	Cheese, ice cream and butter	Tillamook, About us
Organic Valley	CROPP Cooperative	About 1,500 family farms across the US	Organic milk, cheese, butter and eggs	Organic Valley, Our farmers
Florida's Natural	Florida's Natural Growers (Citrus World, Inc.)	Florida citrus growers	Orange juice and other juices	Florida's Natural, About us
Sun-Maid	Sun-Maid Growers of California	California raisin growers	Raisins and dried fruit	Sun-Maid, Grower story
Darigold	Northwest Dairy Association	About 300 dairy farm families in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana	Milk, butter, dairy ingredients	Darigold
REI	REI Co-op	Members (consumer co-op); its newsroom cites 26 million members	Outdoor gear and clothing retail	REI, Membership
Ace Hardware	Ace Hardware Corporation	Independent store owners, who receive a patronage dividend	Hardware retail; stores in the US and abroad	Ace Hardware newsroom

Not every brand has the same kind of owner. Most of the table is producer co-ops (farmers own the co-op that sells what they grow). REI is a consumer co-op, where customers are the members. Ace is a purchasing co-op, where independent store owners are the owners and the co-op supplies them. The types differ in who owns and who benefits, but the rule holds: owners are the users.

What the owners say, brand by brand

Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray describes itself as a cooperative of around 700 family farmers. Its About page says the co-op began in 1930, when three independent cranberry growers banded together. Its farmer directory shows member families in Wisconsin, British Columbia and Quebec, among other places, including a first-generation grower in Chile. Many are multigenerational farms. The member count changes over time, so quote the figure on its current page.

Land O'Lakes

Land O'Lakes says it is proudly owned by both farmers and ag retailers. Its page traces the co-op to 1921, when 320 Minnesota dairy farmers formed it, and lists more than 1,125 dairy members, 475 ag producers and more than 840 retail owners. It says it operates in all 50 states and more than 60 countries.

Sunkist

Sunkist describes itself as a citrus marketing cooperative owned by and operated for family farmers growing citrus in California and Arizona. Its 130th anniversary release says the co-op began in 1893, calls it the longest-standing agricultural co-op in the United States, and refers to more than 1,500 growers in its membership. A later press release announced that, effective 1 November 2025, a new California cooperative named Sunkist Growers, Inc. serves as the holding company of Sunkist Growers and Fruit Growers Supply Company.

Blue Diamond

Blue Diamond Growers is a grower-owned almond co-op. Its own site says 230 California almond growers formed the cooperative in 1910 and that it now has approximately 3,000 growers. Directors for each of nine districts are elected by the membership, and no member of management serves on the board. The Almond Breeze almondmilk brand belongs to this cooperative.

Welch's

Welch's own pages say that since 1952, Welch's (Welch Foods, Inc.) has been owned by the farmers who make up the National Grape Co-operative. Its foodservice page describes a co-op of over 600 family farmer owners and says its Concord and Niagara grapes come from their US farms. So Welch's is a brand of a co-op, not a conventional food company.

Cabot

Cabot's About page says the farm families who own Cabot Creamery Cooperative have been at it since 1919, when 94 families from Cabot, Vermont, formed a cooperative. Agri-Mark's own site says its tradition goes back to 1916 and presents Cabot and McCadam as its products. Cabot says it is a Certified B Corporation.

Tillamook

The Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is owned by farming families in Tillamook County on the Oregon coast. Tillamook says members elect 12 farmers to the board each year to represent all members, and that everyone has an equal amount of say in running the company. The site's pages give different counts of farmer-owners over time, so no number is quoted here.

Organic Valley

Organic Valley says it is owned by approximately 1,500 organic family farms in 30+ states. CROPP Cooperative, based in La Farge, Wisconsin, is the co-op behind the brand, and its history page gives 1988 as the year farmers formed it.

Florida's Natural

Florida's Natural says it is proudly farmer-owned and describes itself as one of the largest co-ops of citrus growers in the world. Its site traces its roots to 1933. Its employment page names Citrus World, Inc. as the entity at its Lake Wales, Florida headquarters.

Sun-Maid

Sun-Maid says it is a farmers' cooperative privately owned by hundreds of grower families who farm thousands of acres of raisin grapes in central California. Its history page records that raisin growers agreed in 1912 to sell raisins as one.

Darigold

Darigold's own FAQ says Darigold, Inc. is the marketing and processing subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association, which is owned by about 300 dairy farm families in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Its pages have given different farm counts over the years.

REI and Ace Hardware

REI's pages describe a lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $30, and its newsroom cites 26 million members. Ace Hardware calls itself the world's largest hardware cooperative. Its stores are independently owned and operated, and its results releases report an accrued patronage dividend to shareholders.

What "owned by a cooperative" means

A cooperative is a business owned and democratically controlled by the people who use it. In a producer co-op like Ocean Spray, that means growers. The brand is the retail face of a pool of farms. The co-op sells their crop in a form people recognise, and the margin that a private branded-food company would keep goes back to the members.

Control. Members elect the board. In a farmer co-op the board is usually drawn from the members themselves.
Return. Earnings go back as patronage refunds, in proportion to what each member delivered or bought. See patronage refunds.
Legal footing. In the United States, farmers' joint processing and marketing is covered by the Capper-Volstead Act.
Scale. Co-ops with consumer brands can be large. For the biggest by revenue, see the 10 largest agricultural cooperatives in the United States.

A co-op brand is not automatically better or cheaper for the shopper. The benefit goes to the owners. As a buyer you are paying the going price and the owners share in the margin.

How to check whether a brand is a co-op

Read the About page. Look for "farmer-owned", "grower-owned", "member-owned" or "cooperative".
Look at the legal name. Names such as "Growers", "Producers", "Cooperative", "Association" or "Inc." followed by a member-owned statement are clues. They are not proof, so confirm on the owner's page.
Find the parent. Many brands are a division of a co-op with a different name: Cabot is Agri-Mark, Welch's is National Grape, Darigold is Northwest Dairy Association, Organic Valley is CROPP.
Check the USDA lists. USDA Rural Development publishes Agricultural Cooperative Statistics, including a Top 100 table of the largest agricultural co-ops.

For more farm-side examples, see agricultural cooperatives, agricultural cooperative examples, dairy cooperatives and marketing cooperatives. Non-farm examples are in famous cooperative examples.

FAQ

Is Ocean Spray a cooperative?

Yes. Ocean Spray describes itself as a farmer-owned cooperative of around 700 family farmers, according to its own About page.

Is Land O'Lakes a cooperative?

Yes. Land O'Lakes says it is a member-owned cooperative owned by both farmers and ag retailers. Its investors page describes it as privately held and member-owned.

Is Cabot a cooperative?

Cabot is owned by a cooperative. Its About page says the farm families who own Cabot Creamery Cooperative formed it in 1919, and Agri-Mark's site presents Cabot and McCadam as its products.

Is Welch's a cooperative?

Welch's is owned by one. Its site says Welch's (Welch Foods, Inc.) has been owned since 1952 by the farmers who make up the National Grape Co-operative.

Is Tillamook a cooperative?

Yes. The Tillamook County Creamery Association is owned by farm families in Tillamook County, Oregon, and its members elect the board.

Is Organic Valley a cooperative?

Yes. Organic Valley is a farmer-owned cooperative (CROPP Cooperative), formed in 1988, owned by approximately 1,500 family farms in 30+ states.

Is Sunkist a cooperative?

Yes. Sunkist describes itself as a citrus marketing cooperative owned by and operated for citrus growers in California and Arizona.

Is Blue Diamond a cooperative?

Yes. Blue Diamond Growers is a grower-owned almond cooperative; members elect the board.

Is REI a cooperative?

Yes. REI is a consumer cooperative: its members pay a one-time fee and are its owners. It is a different type from the farmer co-ops above. See consumer cooperatives.

Is Ace Hardware a cooperative?

Yes. Ace Hardware calls itself the world's largest hardware cooperative, with stores that are independently owned and operated, and its results releases report a patronage dividend to shareholders.

Do co-op brands pay farmers more?

That depends on the co-op and the year. Members share in the co-op's earnings, usually as a patronage refund on top of what they are paid for their crop or milk, but a co-op can also have a bad year. Check the co-op's own annual report.

Can I join one of these co-ops?

Membership is for producers (or, for REI, customers). Farm co-ops set their own rules for who may join, usually based on growing the crop in the right region and signing a marketing agreement. Contact the co-op directly. For starting your own, see how to start an agricultural cooperative.