Land Access Stories from the Field: BeetBox Co-op Farm

BeetBox Co-op Farm is an urban vegetable farm in Nepean that grows a variety of fresh and high-quality food, following and exceeding the Canadian Organic Standards. The farm is located on public land that is leased from the National Capital Commission (NCC) – the government entity that manages agricultural leases on Ottawa Greenbelt land. BeetBox Co-op was founded in 2017 by a group of farmers who shared similar interests in food security and organic agriculture. The farmers originally met at an agricultural event and continued building relationships for a few years afterwards through meetups and potlucks. They found this slow relationship building process invaluable to their co-op, as it allowed the members to get a sense of commitment levels, and helped to build trust.

When developing the co-op, the founding BeetBox members drew on the informal support of a friend with prior co-op experience, and solicited the advice of an accountant and a lawyer from the very beginning, making sure that they were familiar with co-ops. They reached out to organizations like the Canadian Worker Co-op Federation (CWCF) for advice on co-op structures, and advisors from other established worker co-ops like Tourne-Sol Cooperative Farm in Quebec to help inform things like bylaws, and a business plan. BeetBox incorporated as a worker co-op which allows for one vote per member, with owner shares costing more to create a pool of funds for things like infrastructure, operational expenses, paying staff, and more. They also developed a plan with their accountant to offer preference shares to the community, acting as a crowd-funding mechanism and allowing preference share members to have a non-voting ownership stake in the business.

BeetBox Co-op functions as a worker-owned co-op, where farm workers have a stake in the decision-making and management of the farm business if they choose to be involved at that level. It can be tricky to find farmworkers who also want to commit as co-owners for the long-term and take on added responsibilities like responding to on-farm issues, and managing the business side of things. Over time, some of the original BeetBox owner-members moved on to other ventures due to changes in their personal lives or interpersonal challenges. The transition process was challenging, and involved a lot of internal and external support. To navigate these changes, the remaining owner-members were able to use CWCF funding to hire a co-op developer to support the ownership changes. The current owners are Jeremy, Angela, Scott, and Janice, and seasonal staff for 2024 includes Camille, Tess, Willow, and Erik. The team also includes several volunteers who have been heavily involved for years.

This land access model allows for value-driven farmers to collaborate, translating to a high quality of work and equitable working conditions. There is a strong sense of communal support as farmers share responsibilities and all have a stake in the success of the business. At BeetBox in particular, they find that this model works well in urban-adjacent areas as it allows for stronger volunteer involvement. Challenges with this model include the long-term commitment required to develop strong relationships before committing to developing a co-op, and managing owner turnover and dynamic interpersonal relationships.

Learn more about BeetBox Co-op here, where you can find information about their vegetable and flower CSA programs, register for their community farm, and more!