Co-Operate WNC

What Co-Operate WNC does

Cooperate WNC is a 501c3 grassroots nonprofit founded in November 2018 and based in the mountains of Western North Carolina (Webster/Black Mountain). The organization convenes and supports a regional network of mutual aid and cooperative economic projects across 22 WNC counties, operating through nested scales of organization (Crews of 4-7, Pods of 15-25, Hubs of 125-500, and Watershed Networks). Its primary program is a Cooperative Bulk Purchasing initiative that aggregates demand for sustainable food and farming supplies (organic seed potatoes, olive oil, hazelnut plants, pecans), distributing through 12 hubs in 11 counties and generating an estimated $17,033 in member savings in 2025 on transaction-fee margins of 5-12%. Additional programs include a free Biochar Kiln Loan Program (5 kilns at 4 locations), a Rivercane Restoration Program (~2,000 plants in production), the KinShip Fellowship for grassroots leaders, Community Savings Pool Training, Learning Circles, and Conflict Transformation Workshops.

The organization operates with no proprietary technology platform, relying instead on a Squarespace website, NeonCRM for email subscriptions, and the GrownBy e-commerce marketplace for bulk ordering. Its competitive position rests on relational and logistical infrastructure rather than software. Revenue is diversified across transaction fees from bulk purchases, individual donations (including a monthly giving circle and payroll giving program), employer matching gifts facilitated through a Double the Donation integration, and institutional grants, including a $170,000 Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund grant announced in January 2026. After Hurricane Helene, Cooperate WNC rapidly moved $25,000 in emergency funds to on-the-ground mutual aid groups and launched the KinShip program, which regranted $35,000 to community-led projects in 2025.

The team comprises three full-time staff (Founder/Creative Director Zev Friedman, Bulk Purchasing Coordinator Justin Holt, and Grant Manager & Development Director Alex Lines) plus a Storytelling & Network Weaving Director (Iliana Hernandez) and a Board of Directors that includes Debbie Lienhart and Rachel Swinney. The organization has grown from one staff member in 2024 to three in 2025, and engaged Artemis Facilitation in 2025 to formalize a three-year strategy across four key directions.

Name

Co-Operate WNC

Legal name

Co-operate WNC

Website

https://cooperatewnc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cooperate WNC is a 501c3 nonprofit that builds a regional mutual aid and cooperative economic network across 22 Western North Carolina counties, serving small farmers, households, and grassroots organizers through bulk purchasing, leadership development, and disaster resilience programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Community Food Services (624210), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE), Federations/Centrals & Cooperative Banking Networks (2nd-Tier Co-ops) (FSABAEAL), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Cooperative bulk purchasing
• Mutual aid networks
• Community resilience programs
• Grassroots cooperative economics
• Regional food sovereignty

Headquarters

HQ city

Webster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Bulk Purchasing Program Revenue: Revenue from profit margin of bulk purchasing operations (5-12% margin on purchases). This is designed to perpetually fund operating and programmatic costs of Cooperate WNC, making other programs accessible via low-cost and free offerings.
2. Donations and Grants: Individual donations including monthly giving circle, corporate matching gifts, and grant funding. After Hurricane Helene, distributed $25,000 in emergency funds and $35,000 regranted to community-led mutual aid projects.
3. Payroll Giving: Workplace giving programs where employers deduct automatic donations from employee paychecks, often with matching provisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cooperate WNC convenes and operates a regional mutual aid network across 22 Western North Carolina counties. Its core activity is cooperative bulk purchasing of sustainable food and farming supplies (seed potatoes, olive oil, pecans, hazelnut plants, rivercane) that aggregates member purchasing power at a 5-12% margin to fund operations, complemented by programs such as a free biochar kiln loan library, rivercane restoration, a KinShip leadership fellowship, community savings pool training, learning circles, and conflict transformation workshops.

Product overview

Cooperate WNC is a grassroots nonprofit organization operating a network of mutual aid and cooperative economic programs rather than a unified software product. The organization's programs include the Cooperative Bulk Purchasing Program (which aggregates purchasing power for sustainable goods), Biochar Kiln Loan Program (providing free kiln rentals for soil improvement), Rivercane Restoration (conservation through bulk purchasing), KinShip Fellowship (leadership development with participatory grantmaking), Community Savings Pool Training (peer-based financial support), Learning Circles (knowledge-sharing gatherings), and Conflict Transformation Workshops. These programs work together to build regional resilience through cooperative infrastructure, disaster response, and grassroots leadership development across Western North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Bulk Purchasing Program A cooperative bulk purchasing initiative that enables network members across Western North Carolina to pool purchasing power for sustainable food and farming supplies, achieving volume pricing on items such as organic seed potatoes, olive oil, pecans, hazelnut plants, and rivercane, with a 5-12% margin funding Cooperate WNC operations.
• Biochar Kiln Loan Program
• Rivercane Restoration Program
• KinShip Fellowship Program
• Community Savings Pool Training
• Learning Circles
• Conflict Transformation Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• $17,033 estimated savings for network members through bulk purchasing in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Artemis Facilitation (Diana McCall)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Facilitated strategic planning process to reflect on Cooperate WNC's history, impact, and organizational strategy, leading to identification of 4 key strategic directions.
• Living Web FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2022Partnership on biochar kiln fabrication and soil regeneration work at Veterans Healing Farm. Living Web Farms in Mills River helped build the Kon-Tiki biochar kiln.
• The Redesign ML-43 Leadership TeamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2022Collaboration partners in soil regeneration project including Sarah Fiel, Maxine Howard, Kelly Gallant, Jay Mercado, Jared Brindle, and Volkan Aksakal.
• Veterans Healing FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2021Collaboration on soil regeneration project including fabrication of Kon-Tiki biochar kiln, application of soil amendments and biochar to growing fields. Veterans Healing Farm has donated over 35,000 lbs of produce to veterans since 2015.
• Working LandscapescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Original developer of the biochar kiln loan program based in Warren County, NC. They passed the program to Cooperate WNC to continue facilitating regenerative agriculture in western NC.
• Local WNC NurseriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local nurseries for production of approximately 2,000 rivercane plants through grant-funded project, with goal of making rivercane available consistently at affordable prices.
• Cherokee Clay Food AllianceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution hub partner for bulk purchased goods including seed potatoes pickup and distribution.
• Hendersonville Food Co-opminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial resale entity that participated in potato seed bulk purchase program as a customer.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Equal Exchange: Worker-owned cooperative that sources and distributes fairly traded food through co-ops and CSAs nationally. Comparable cooperative economics model at greater scale, with overlapping mission around cooperative purchasing of sustainable goods.
• Organic Farmers Association: National membership organization representing organic farmers, including cooperative and small grower advocacy. Comparable in serving small organic grower constituency and cooperative economics advocacy at a broader national scope.
• National Co+op Grocers (NCG): Secondary cooperative providing services to 150+ retail food co-ops nationally. Functionally analogous at higher scale — providing cooperative goods distribution infrastructure to a member-owner base — and a potential federation partner for replication.

Direct peers

• Veterans Healing Farm: Named strategic partner on the soil regeneration/biochar project. Operates as a WNC nonprofit in agriculture and community resilience, sharing Cooperate WNC's hybrid mutual aid / regenerative agriculture mission.
• Working Landscapes: Original developer of the biochar kiln loan program that transferred operations to Cooperate WNC. Functional peer in regenerative agriculture infrastructure for rural NC.
• Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA): National cooperative that pools purchasing power for nonprofits, congregations, and households — the explicit model Cooperate WNC's bulk purchasing program is built on. Direct functional peer in scale and methodology.
• Organic Growers School: Western NC-based farmer and grower education nonprofit, named in Cooperate WNC's outreach channels. Direct peer in mission, region, and target audience of small farmers and homesteaders.

Regional players

• MountainTrue: Western NC conservation nonprofit operating across the same geographic footprint. Overlapping constituency in rural communities, ecological resilience, and grassroots regional organizing.
• Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA): Pittsboro, NC-based nonprofit serving farmers and rural communities across NC. Shares region, mission focus on food sovereignty and cooperative economics, and overlapping constituency of small growers, making it a strong adjacent peer.

Emerging players

• Seed Savers Exchange: Nonprofit focused on seed preservation and distribution through a member-based exchange. Closely aligned with Cooperate WNC's seed potato and hazelnut plant distribution programs, sharing both the constituent community of small growers and the cooperative distribution ethos.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cooperatewnc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Co-Operate WNC