Co-op Rhody’s big picture goal is to build an economy in Rhode Island where working people—especially those historically excluded from economic ownership—create wealth and power through union membership and worker ownership. 

We formed out of the campaign to ensure Rhode Island’s cannabis legalization included meaningful forms of “social equity,” especially automatic expungements, labor peace agreements, and worker ownership. We won first-in-the-nation set-aside retail licenses for worker co-ops, and are now working to support the development of these six stores. Our vision is to build a thriving cooperative ecosystem in the cannabis industry in which worker cooperative dispensaries offer thriving wages, deeply democratic workplaces, and a national example of worker ownership at scale. Ultimately, we aim to build a community and organizational infrastructure around these dispensaries which reinvests in cooperative development and community impact.

Moving into 2026, Co-op Rhody is focused on continuing to cultivate a cooperative cannabis ecosystem that facilitates cooperation between co-ops to achieve cost savings, broader public awareness, and governance support for worker-owners. In collaboration with the Cooperative Development Institute, we’re hosting a committee of cooperative worker-owners to study and develop a plan of action.

We help innovative worker-owned businesses start ups.

Co-op Rhody offers workshops, trainings, resources, and community events to build capacity and solidarity among co-op founders.