Save the Date:
Third Annual Minnesota Cooperative Summit
July 28-29, 2027 | Mankato, MN
At the third annual Minnesota Cooperative Summit, we will:
Understand the economic resiliency and long term sustainability of co-ops
Learn about the power and versatility of the cooperative model
Engage in Minnesota’s rich history of cooperation to do better together
Gain inspiration from creative co-op success stories
Co-ops have the power to build a better world that includes everyone. Co-ops have been and will continue to be key for economic development in our state, from succession planning to incorporating marginalized groups to solving challenges that cannot be done alone.
“This year’s summit was something special. The energy, the conversations. It felt like a group of people genuinely meeting the moment, not just naming it. Hopeful, and full of things worth learning.”
What participants are saying about the Summit:
“It was very engaging and informational! I appreciated that there were enough intro-level sessions to get me up to speed, but also dived into some more tangible examples and specifics. Being from Duluth, I enjoyed the tours and getting to know real cooperatives in our city!”
“The Minnesota Cooperative Summit made clear that cooperatives are built for this moment, shaped by decades of experimentation and innovation, and fortified by struggle, opportunity, and hard-earned wisdom. The Summit didn’t just talk about co-ops as an idea; it showed them in action across sectors, communities, and generations. It felt less like a conference and more like a collective reckoning with what our communities need right now. It was also a reminder that while the models themselves are powerful, it is cross-sector collaboration that tends our root system, allowing a shared ownership economy to evolve and scale strategically and sustainably.”
What is a Cooperative?
Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises jointly owned and democratically controlled by and for their members to realise their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations.
As enterprises based on values and principles, they put fairness and equality first allowing people to create sustainable enterprises that generate long-term jobs and prosperity.
Managed by producers, users or workers, cooperatives are run according to the 'one member, one vote' rule.
Cooperatives are uniquely positioned to meet the economic and social needs in the state of Minnesota, offering versatile and powerful solutions that center people along with profit.
Thank you 2026 Sponsors!
