Arizmendi Association |

Arizmendi Association

About the Association

The Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives, founded in 1996, develops democratically run businesses whose worker-owners are in control of their livelihood. The first Arizmendi Bakery opened in Oakland in 1997, with a production model based on the Cheese Board in Berkeley, which generously donated its recipes and know-how to the project. There are now six thriving bakeries in the Bay Area. In 2016, on the heels of our 20th Anniversary, the Arizmendi Association began to diversify our cooperative family beyond bakeries. Root Volume, a landscaping design/build cooperative, is the first in what we hope will be many cross-industry cooperative businesses. Another project in development includes a construction cooperative, Arizmendi Construction.

Our worker-owners bring a variety of life experiences to their work and reflect diverse backgrounds in employment, education, and culture. What unites us is our strong work ethic and our dedication to democracy in the workplace.

The Arizmendi Association is itself a cooperative made up of nine member businesses: six cooperative bakeries, a landscape design/build cooperative, a construction cooperative and a development and support collective. Members share a common mission, share ongoing accounting, legal, educational and other support services, and support the development of new member cooperatives by the Association.

Our organizational mission is to:

Assure opportunities for workers’ control of their livelihood with fairness and equality for all
Develop as many dignified, decently paid (living “wage” or better) work opportunities as possible through the development of new cooperatives
Promote cooperative economic democracy as a sustainable and humane option for our society
Create work environments that foster profound personal as well as professional growth
Exhibit excellence in production and serving our local communities
Provide continuing technical, educational and organizational support and services to member cooperatives
Seek to link with other cooperatives for mutual support, and to
Provide information and education to the larger community about cooperatives

If you would like to learn more about our Association here are some helpful media links:

Our Name

Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta

Arizmendi is the shortened name of Jose Maria Arizmendiarrieta, who as a young priest inspired and helped found the Mondragon Cooperatives in the Basque Country of Spain. Although worker cooperatives have functioned in most parts of the world since the 19th century, the success of the Mondragon Cooperatives has attracted worldwide attention. What started as one firm and roughly 25 people in 1956 is now a major international business with a work force of over 34,000, employed in some 100 worker-owned enterprises and affiliated organizations. These cooperatives continue to be inspired by Arizmendi’s belief that worker ownership and participation in the workplace should be an integral part of a just and democratic society. Through their financial, technical and organizational alliances, the Mondragn Cooperative Corporation helps develop new businesses, supports existing ones, and facilitates mutual support among member cooperatives. The name Arizmendi acknowledges his inspiration in our effort to expand democratically owned and operated workplaces.