Invest in our Alternative Model

Our worker cooperative has been a major innovator in the way that social mission-driven companies can secure financing. Our model includes: outside preferred Class B non-voting shares, inside worker-owner Class A voting shares, debt financing from mission-aligned sources, and retained earnings that workers reinvest annually. We aim for a modest 2-5% profit in a good year. We even have a bylaw in place preventing us from ever selling the company for profit (known as our “Never Sell Out” clause.) We’re always looking for ways to deepen participation in our alternative trade mission. By working cooperatively, not just with what we buy and sell, but in how we finance our business, we’re transforming our economy together.

Join us and be part of

green coffee beans pouring out of an open burlap bag

Raising cooperative capital

Mission-aligned capital helps fund our worker-owned operations, inventory of goods from small farmer co-ops, and our co-op’s future growth.
two women at a community gathering holding red mugs of brewed Equal Exchange tea

Preserving our social mission

As an investor, you’ll become part of our network of Citizen-Consumers helping to build a more just food system that puts people and the planet above profits.
group of CONACADO co-op members holding a red Equal Exchange banner in front of green hillside in the Domincan Republic

Pre-harvest financing

Invest in our mission and commitment to ethical sourcing, environmental sustainability, and the fair and respectful treatment of farmers, workers, and consumers.

A new way to invest

Every business needs capital in order to operate and to grow. In our line of work, it’s what pays for things like roasting equipment, warehouses and offices, packaging machinery, forklifts, the coolers for our chocolate, and raw materials like green coffee beans. Through a new federal regulation, we can include more people in our alternative capital model through crowdfunding. This means we can fund our business with the support of our own network and democratize another aspect of our model.

We’re working with Crowdfund Mainstreet to bring you this new investing opportunity.

Visit our Crowdfund Mainstreet page to learn more.

Looking to make a larger investment?

Please get in touch. We welcome your interest and look forward to helping you get more involved.

Nicole Vitello
Capital Coordinator & Vice President
(774) 776-7363
nvitello@equalexchange.coop