“What is more telling is not just the number of cooperatives, but how many people do business with cooperatives,” he said.
That number isn’t clear, but according to Bergeron, 54 percent of Vermonters work with credit unions. It’s likely, he said, that percentage increases when taking into consideration cooperatives in every sector.
The next step, according to Bergeron, will be to research and measure the total impact that cooperatives have on the state’s economy. “And we think it’s very substantial,” he said.
Nate Formalarie, of Cabot Creamery, said the census was a good first step at building a network of cooperatives in Vermont.
See the database of Vermont Co-ops
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