Membership
See “What is a Coop?” page to learn more about cooperatives.
Why become a Consumer Member?
Finding and using your own voice is often easier when you belong to a group of people that uses its collective power to organize and mobilize together. As members of Earth’s Refillery Coop, we are joining together to create and strengthen systems that bring us closer to our goals of social, political, economic, and environmental justice.
We rely on our consumer members to use and contribute to the coop so that we can stay active in our community for years to come, and keep providing the goods and services that we have to offer.
As a member, you can get involved as much or as little as you like. Your membership will still grant you the same benefits and rewards. Thank you for your support.
How to join:
Visit us during our regular hours and we will get you set up with your brand new membership. We just need your name and contact information, plus a one-time fee for your membership share and your first annual membership fee.
**We are currently accepting pre-payment for memberships. Contact us at hello@ercoop.ca to pre-pay for your membership instead of paying later. (This will help us with our startup funds.)
Our membership shares are priced at just $5. We kept our share price low because we want our doors to be open for all kinds of people who wish to get involved. Along with the one-time cost for the membership share, there is a $20/year annual membership fee. These are not billed automatically, but we will remind you to pay your fees in person when they are due if you wish to continue being a member. Your membership grants you a 2% discount on all your purchases in both the cafe and the refillery, as well as rewards for reusing and refilling your coffee mug, bowls, bottles, bags, and containers. You will also be able to participate in member-only surveys, special member meetings, vote at our AGM, and serve on committees to help us further our mission.
Membership fees & benefits:
Our coop model combines the structures of a worker cooperative and a consumer cooperative to ensure that workers maintain autonomy and decision-making power in their workplace. Our board consists of a majority of Worker Member seats, with one elected Consumer Member Representative seat. Our management structure is horizontal, meaning that every worker member has equal decision-making power and equal ownership, avoiding hierarchy and labour exploitation.
To become a Worker Member, one must complete a 6 month or 500 hour (whichever is longer) Candidacy Period as an employee of the coop and be accepted as a Worker Member by a vote of the board.