For nearly 40 years, Cooperative Development Services (CDS) has been at the forefront of sustainable cooperative development in Minnesota. CDS supports the growth of cooperative businesses at all stages, including long-established co-ops, startups, and co-op conversions in urban and rural communities. CDS has experience working with cooperatives across the food value chain, leveraging cooperation to build robust regional food systems representing food producers, distributors, and consumers. CDS will focus on providing technical assistance to food and agriculture cooperatives.
Assistance includes:
- Project planning and grant proposal assistance tailored to the needs of cooperative businesses for RFSI and other grants aligned with the goals of RFSI.
- Grant administration guidance.
- Training and education for prospective and early-stage food and agriculture cooperatives, including topics such as the co-op identity, the co-op development pathway, co-op legal basics, cooperative finance, and cooperative governance.
- Assistance for cooperatives with business planning, financial feasibility and investment strategies, market research, and business assessment.
- Governance and board planning support.
- Value chain coordination.
- Network referrals to other technical assistance and service providers with appropriate expertise.
Contact CDS:
For nearly 40 years, Cooperative Development Services (CDS) has been at the forefront of sustainable cooperative development in Minnesota. CDS supports the growth of cooperative businesses at all stages, including long-established co-ops, startups, and co-op conversions in urban and rural communities. CDS has experience working with cooperatives across the food value chain, leveraging cooperation to build robust regional food systems representing food producers, distributors, and consumers. CDS will focus on providing technical assistance to food and agriculture cooperatives.
Assistance includes:
- Project planning and grant proposal assistance tailored to the needs of cooperative businesses for RFSI and other grants aligned with the goals of RFSI.
- Grant administration guidance.
- Training and education for prospective and early-stage food and agriculture cooperatives, including topics such as the co-op identity, the co-op development pathway, co-op legal basics, cooperative finance, and cooperative governance.
- Assistance for cooperatives with business planning, financial feasibility and investment strategies, market research, and business assessment.
- Governance and board planning support.
- Value chain coordination.
- Network referrals to other technical assistance and service providers with appropriate expertise.
Contact CDS:
La misión del Centro para el Desarrollo Económico Latino (LEDC, por sus siglas en inglés) es ayudar a los empresarios y emprendedores latinos en Minnesota a desarrollar sus negocios y crecer. Como organización creada por latinos, para latinos, LEDC ofrece clases, talleres, asistencia personalizada, servicios de asistencia agrícola, una incubadora de restaurantes y préstamos en su función como una Institución Financiera de Desarrollo Comunitario (CDFI, por sus siglas en inglés). LEDC trabaja a menudo con agricultores y otras empresas vinculadas a la industria alimentaria y agrícola y, a través de su asistencia técnica, ayudará al programa RFSI a beneficiar a la comunidad latina en Minnesota.
La asistencia incluye:
- Servicios y capacitaciones ofrecidos en español para ayudar a los agricultores, empresas alimentarias y organizaciones latinas a acceder al programa RFSI.
- Consultoría en desarrollo de negocios alimentarios y agrícolas, como planificación comercial y financiera, concienciación legal y regulatoria, asistencia de marketing, soporte de mantenimiento de registros y planificación de sucesión.
- Coordinación de la cadena de valor y apoyo al acceso a los mercados.
- Asistencia en redacción y administración de subvenciones relacionadas tanto a RFSI como a otros programas de subvenciones.
- Acceso a otras fuentes de capital a través de capacitación en educación financiera, asistencia con paquetes de préstamos y préstamos directos en su condición como CDFI.
- Oportunidades de establecimiento de contactos y de intercambio personalizado para empresarios latinos en el gremio de alimentos y agricultura y otras entes interesadas de la cadena de valor.
- Referencias a otros proveedores de servicios y asistencia técnica con la experiencia adecuada.
Póngase en contacto con LEDC:
- Danny Jacobo, danny@ledcmn.org
- Formulario de contacto de LEDC
La misión del Centro para el Desarrollo Económico Latino (LEDC, por sus siglas en inglés) es ayudar a los empresarios y emprendedores latinos en Minnesota a desarrollar sus negocios y crecer. Como organización creada por latinos, para latinos, LEDC ofrece clases, talleres, asistencia personalizada, servicios de asistencia agrícola, una incubadora de restaurantes y préstamos en su función como una Institución Financiera de Desarrollo Comunitario (CDFI, por sus siglas en inglés). LEDC trabaja a menudo con agricultores y otras empresas vinculadas a la industria alimentaria y agrícola y, a través de su asistencia técnica, ayudará al programa RFSI a beneficiar a la comunidad latina en Minnesota.
La asistencia incluye:
- Servicios y capacitaciones ofrecidos en español para ayudar a los agricultores, empresas alimentarias y organizaciones latinas a acceder al programa RFSI.
- Consultoría en desarrollo de negocios alimentarios y agrícolas, como planificación comercial y financiera, concienciación legal y regulatoria, asistencia de marketing, soporte de mantenimiento de registros y planificación de sucesión.
- Coordinación de la cadena de valor y apoyo al acceso a los mercados.
- Asistencia en redacción y administración de subvenciones relacionadas tanto a RFSI como a otros programas de subvenciones.
- Acceso a otras fuentes de capital a través de capacitación en educación financiera, asistencia con paquetes de préstamos y préstamos directos en su condición como CDFI.
- Oportunidades de establecimiento de contactos y de intercambio personalizado para empresarios latinos en el gremio de alimentos y agricultura y otras entes interesadas de la cadena de valor.
- Referencias a otros proveedores de servicios y asistencia técnica con la experiencia adecuada.
Póngase en contacto con LEDC:
- Danny Jacobo, danny@ledcmn.org
- Formulario de contacto de LEDC
The Latino Economic Development Center's (LEDC) mission is to help Latino entrepreneurs and small businesses in Minnesota launch and grow. As an organization created by Latinos, for Latinos, LEDC provides classes, workshops, one-on-one assistance, agricultural assistance services, a kitchen incubator, and loans as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). LEDC regularly works with farmers and other businesses in the food and agriculture industry and through their technical assistance and will help the RFSI program benefit the Latino community in Minnesota.
Assistance includes:
- Services and training offered in Spanish to assist Latino farmers, food businesses, and organizations access the RFSI program
- Food and agriculture business development consulting, such as business and financial planning, legal and regulatory awareness, marketing assistance, record keeping support, and succession planning
- Value-chain coordination and supporting access to markets
- Grant writing and administration guidance for RFSI as well as other grant programs
- Access to other sources of capital through financial literacy training, and loan package assistance, and direct lending as a CDFI
- Networking and peer-to-peer sharing opportunities for Latino food and agriculture businesses and other value-chain stakeholders
- Network referrals to other technical assistance and service providers with appropriate expertise
Contact LEDC:
- Danny Jacobo, danny@ledcmn.org
- LEDC Contact Form
The Latino Economic Development Center's (LEDC) mission is to help Latino entrepreneurs and small businesses in Minnesota launch and grow. As an organization created by Latinos, for Latinos, LEDC provides classes, workshops, one-on-one assistance, agricultural assistance services, a kitchen incubator, and loans as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). LEDC regularly works with farmers and other businesses in the food and agriculture industry and through their technical assistance and will help the RFSI program benefit the Latino community in Minnesota.
Assistance includes:
- Services and training offered in Spanish to assist Latino farmers, food businesses, and organizations access the RFSI program
- Food and agriculture business development consulting, such as business and financial planning, legal and regulatory awareness, marketing assistance, record keeping support, and succession planning
- Value-chain coordination and supporting access to markets
- Grant writing and administration guidance for RFSI as well as other grant programs
- Access to other sources of capital through financial literacy training, and loan package assistance, and direct lending as a CDFI
- Networking and peer-to-peer sharing opportunities for Latino food and agriculture businesses and other value-chain stakeholders
- Network referrals to other technical assistance and service providers with appropriate expertise
Contact LEDC:
- Danny Jacobo, danny@ledcmn.org
- LEDC Contact Form
Technical Assistance Trainings and Events
These trainings and events are made possible through the Minnesota Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, which is funded by a cooperative agreement between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The contents of the presentations and other program materials are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of USDA or the MDA.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is offering free group consultations with an AURI food scientist.
To kick off each session, an AURI food scientist will present a few minutes of educational content (based on questions submitted during registration or other available content), and then answer questions in an open Q&A format. Guest experts may be available upon request.
These sessions are offered virtually twice per month:
- 4-5 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month
- 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month
Register for each session you're interested in attending.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is offering free group consultations with an AURI food scientist.
To kick off each session, an AURI food scientist will present a few minutes of educational content (based on questions submitted during registration or other available content), and then answer questions in an open Q&A format. Guest experts may be available upon request.
These sessions are offered virtually twice per month:
- 4-5 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month
- 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month
Register for each session you're interested in attending.
Cooperative Development Services is offering a free training series for startup producer co-ops. Although particularly suited for emerging co-ops, the program will also be useful to directors and managers of co-ops that are already operating. The series will focus on the cooperative business model and the formation and governance of early-stage cooperatives. In addition to instructor-led training, participants will have a chance to meet and learn from peer producer co-ops. Co-ops are encouraged send multiple participants.
Register for the training series.
The training sessions will be held virtually on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. Session dates and titles:
- February 19 – Session 1: An Introduction to Cooperatives
- February 26 – Session 2: The Cooperative Development Process
- March 5 – Session 3: Ownership Model Canvas
- March 12 – Session 4: Business Model Canvas
- March 19 – Session 5: Governance Essentials for Startup Co-ops
