2025 Co-op Fest Wrap Up

Cooperation Buffalo
Aug 21
3 min read

On July 19th, we held our second annual Co-op Fest! Cooperatives from across WNY came together at Five Points Bakery on the West Side of Buffalo to make this summer celebration a blast. Thanks to you, Co-op Fest 2025 was a joyful, energizing day of community, connection, and celebration of cooperative power.

Whether you came to connect with co-op leaders, cheer on local changemakers, enjoy the community vibe, or simply learn more about our work, your presence helped make the day a powerful reminder that we are stronger together.

The beautiful weather set the stage for a great afternoon where guests enjoyed samples from Lexington Co-op Markets and East Aurora Co-op, roses from Rose Jade Consulting, and made their own piggy banks with Good Neighbors Credit Union. Extra Extra Pizza had pizza and salad for sale, and BreadHive brought baked goods and merch. Farmer Pirates Compost shared information about their composting program, Mandala Institute shared their passion for supporting mental health therapists, and Nickel City Housing Co-op shared information about co-op living.

In addition to featuring local cooperatives, we included other aspects of the Solidarity Economy at Co-op Fest, with The Tool Library and PUSH Buffalo showcasing more ways that we are stronger together. The Foundry hosted a makerspace for kids, with crafts and games for all ages. We hope you took the time to get to know these projects and their missions a bit better.

There was fun for everyone at Co-op Fest with lawn games, face painting, and a basket raffle. Music from the Jay Sharptet created a warm atmosphere that held throughout the event, with new and old friends coming together to share laughs and plans for the future.

Keeping our cooperative principles in mind, this year's Co-op Fest included plenty of co-op education. Be it our robust info table where you could pick up our 2024 Annual Report, the Co-op Fest Passport to guide you through exploring all the different types of cooperatives in WNY, or the informational signage around the venue, we put community education at the forefront this year. This continued with our speakers: Emily from Rose Jade Consulting worker co-op kicked off our program with a short Co-op 101 presentation, followed by our ED Andrew discussing the impact of co-ops in WNY. Next, Dr. Curtis Haynes, Jr. of Mondragon Village Association real estate co-op spoke about the importance of cooperative economics in the BIPOC community. Anika from Nickel City Housing Co-op spoke about the benefits of housing cooperatives, and Lindita from Lexington Co-op Markets spoke to the important role the grocery co-op plays in our community as a connector and promoter of cooperatives.

Co-op Fest also marked the launch of our STRONGER TOGETHER monthly donor campaign. Cooperation Buffalo board member India Walton made a bold ask for 10 new monthly donors to support our work at Co-op Fest, and 10 committed community members stepped up to help us meet our goal. Thank you to our new recurring monthly donors Charles, Andrea, Tim S, Bernie, Christopher and Kailey, Tim W, Melissa, Rakia, Kirk, and Alex!

You too can join our Collective Power Giving Circle to become part of a community of consistent, values-driven supporters who are investing in Buffalo’s cooperative future.

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