Operating Patterns of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Cooperatives

Growth of fruit- and vegetable-processing cooperatives slowed in the late seventies. High-growth cooperatives employed more full-time employees and more headquarters personnel than low-growth ones and organized their operations to minimize the impact of the peak season. The 14 cooperatives that were studied sold most of their products to chainstores, but the high-growth cooperatives sold a smaller proportion of their total product to chains and to Federal and State Government agencies than did the low-growth cooperatives.