
Buy Local! Buy Fresh!
A farmers market meets the internet for convenient year-round shopping at the Cow-op. We are a non-profit farmer and food processor co-operative with an online marketplace of locally grown and harvested food, featuring a variety of produce, meats, eggs, fruit, baking and more all grown or produced throughout the Cowichan Region. This is a convenient system for food producers and customers alike, as the farmers save time and buyers are able to shop from their computer year-round while directly supporting local family farms and businesses.
MEET OUR MEMBERS
Watch all ten episodes of our Storyhive film series:
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Our History
Cow-op.ca is an initiative of the Cowichan Valley Co-operative Marketplace (CVCM) in partnership with Cowichan Green Community. Incorporated in November of 2014, the CVCM is a not-for-profit co-operative guided by a board of members made up of local farmers, food processors and community partners. Funding for the part of development of the website and business plan was generously provided by Coastal Community Credit Union, Cowichan Green Community and Economic Development Cowichan.
In 2013, the BC Co-operative Society funded the development of a Food Hub pilot in the Cowichan Valley. Funding for the Food Hub Feasibility Study was also funded in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C.
Over 100 people became involved in a series of community consultations, interviews and research which resulted in a comprehensive Feasibility Study, indicating a number of different ways that a co-operative could promote food sustainability, farm viability, and consumer access to quality local foods in the Cowichan Region.
A steering committee continued to fine tune the ideas, and decided that an online marketplace would be the best first step for the group. And so in August of 2015 the Cow-op.ca was born! Other ideas including a delivery truck and cold storage warehouse are part of the larger picture as we grow.
Join us at the Cow-op and start grocery shopping the local and fresh way!
Mission & Vision
Cowichan Valley Co-operative Marketplace’s (CVCM) mission is to facilitate real connections between local farmers and consumers through a co-operative, centralized food hub. CVCM aims to provide a predictable and viable market solution for our farmers and food processors, while giving consumers convenient access to the freshest, highest quality, and most sustainably produced local foods available. With increasing demand for quality local foods, CVCM contributes to a strong local economy and increased farm viability on Vancouver Island. The result is healthier people and greater food security in our region.
Cow-op.ca is the Cowichan region’s co-operative food hub solution for local food aggregation and distribution. Cow-op.ca connects farmers and food processors to local consumers with a focus on quality, freshness, efficiency, profitability and sustainability.