Member-owned business model proves successful for South Country Co-op

South Country Co-op isn’t your typical grocer and is the reason their 13th Avenue location has been voted as Medicine Hat’s best.

Co-op’s business model is unique as they have more than 60,000 local owners who receive a portion of the cooperatives profits annually.

“So I think that makes us a very different kind of business because we invest in the business,” says Carmen Hudson, director of marketing and community relations. “That way we can ensure that our customers get the very best that they want from us.”

Those profits also go back into the community. Each year South Country Co-op allocates a percentage of profits for local sponsorships, donations and community initiatives.

Last month the cooperative raised money to support people dealing with mental health issues with their “Communities in Mind” initiative through the Alberta Health Foundation.

“The bigger projects like ‘Communities in Mind’ are really a collective effort of our customers and our team,” says Hudson. “Not everybody can just give a whole bunch of money to a cause that they feel passionate about, but when we all give a little bit, we can make a really big difference.”

That’s what cooperatives are really all about is working together for the greater good and providing enrichment to the lives of the people in our community.”

Customer service is at the top of the pillar of values for every South Country Co-op location as their employees work hard every day to make sure to embrace every customer.

“I think that our team works really hard every day to ensure that the customer experience at our locations is consistent from location to location,” said Hudson. “We want regardless of which one of our locations you’re at, we want you to have an equally welcoming and warm experience.”

We really want our customers to feel or to know how much we value them, and how much they help us make a difference in the communities that we serve.”

South Country Co-op also placed in several other ‘Best Of’ categories including Best Liquor Store at their Strachan Road location as well as a third place tie at their Northlands location.

South Country Co-op liquor stores are able to carry more selection than their competitors and have more local brews on their shelves then anyone else in town.

“There’s quite a few different lines of local brews that are exclusive to Co-op just a huge, huge selection of variety,” said Hudson.

Co-op’s touchless automatic car wash, Strachan Road location, also won Best Of in the city as well their Northlands location was ranked third.

Co-op’s 13th Avenue location took home second place for their bakery and third place for their gas station.

“The team in those bakeries are so invested in what they do,” said Hudson. “They have so much pride in the work that they do. And it’s very evident in the products that they produce for our customers.”