Relationship with Students

Working with Students:

The co-operative business model allows people to be the owners of the co-operative, such as college students and community members, who all have an opportunity to have an active role in how the business is stewarded but not on the operations.

The IV Co-Op is so stable that the younger generation will invest and get the benefit of being an owner which include shopping benefits, governance benefits where even students can join the Board of Directors and steer the Co-Op.

Students have served on the board in the past. Cohen personally feels that “students are super fun to hang out, work, and do business with”.

Shoppers at the Co-Op:

Typically around 80% of the shoppers at the Co-Op are students. UCSB demographics of students change a lot and affects how the Co-Op does business.

Recently, UCSB’s student population is approximately 25% hispanic, first generation, college students which changes how people shop at the Co-Op.

Since the Co-Op is not corporate and doesn’t have to wait for corporate approval to make change in what they sell in the shelves or how they run the business, it is able to pivot really quickly based on the needs of the community.

The Co-Op is “of by and for the people of Isla Vista”.

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