Marissa Costello is the general manager of one of Australia’s longest-running co-operatives, the Killarney Co-op. Serving the residents of the Queensland town of Warwick and its surrounds, this co-op has been on an impressive journey over the last century.

Marissa Costello and Michael Cavanagh reflect on the first 100 years of the Killarney Co-op, from the early days as a butter factory, to its present setup with multiple retail outlets including a supermarket, an electrical appliances retailer, a hardware, a petrol station, a rural supplies store and a post office. They also talk about the generational legacy of the co-op, as well as how the co-operative movement is placed to offer community-based solutions in our ever-changing world.

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"Paddock to Plate" is our fascinating conversation with the founders of a new food co-op on the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. Have a listen to discover how a disused abattoir has become the centre of an emerging paddock to plate food network. Grant Baker and David Parsons, driving forces behind the co-op discuss how a meat processing co-op will meet local demand and assist producers from the Peninsula to get their top-quality produce onto supermarket shelves and restaurant tables further afield.

Grant and David explain how the BCCM helped the community to explore how a co-op was the right model to work together on their shared vision for an interconnected food supply chain to produce and market the region's trustworthy, ethical, high quality food.

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When Target announced the closure of its much-loved Cootamundra store, the locals quickly realised they would need to travel to Young or Wagga to buy many of their everyday essentials - even bras and briefs. An offhand comment by Cootamundra resident Leigh Bowden, "why don't we start a co-op?", marked the start of a long but exciting journey that has seen substantial progress made towards opening a member-owned retail co-op in the town.

Leigh shares with Michael Cavanagh the current progress of the Cootamundra District Co-op, as well as the highs and lows involved in pioneering a co-op: finding the first members, raising capital, securing supplies and establishing a spirit of co-operation (and not competition) with the other local retailers. 

If the co-op successfully opens its retail store, it will be a major victory for the board, the members and the local community. But if their vision doesn't quite come to fruition, Leigh and her team of dedicated volunteers will know that they did everything they could to help their Cootamundra community.

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If you or your community want to know more about setting up and running a co-op you can contact the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals for some friendly assistance.

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Welcome back to the podcast series from the farming front line. Meet the Co-op Farmers. It's our second season and this time we're going wider and digging deeper to uncover more great stories of co-operation in regional Australia. We'll not only be talking to the farmers, fishers and foresters who put the food on our table and get the wood to the mill. We're going to look at what's driving a rediscovery and take up of this tried and tested model of doing business together. Along the way, you'll meet people across our rural communities working together to overcome disasters and crisis and plan for a better future. It's truly inspiring. 

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