Looking back at Co-op Fortnight 2025
We emerged from Co-op Fortnight with a renewed energy and passion for the co-operative movement. We couldn’t be anything but inspired after hearing the incredibe stories and seeing the celebratory events and activity shared by co-ops everywhere.
This year’s theme, Co-operatives Build a Better World, couldn’t be better demonstrated than by our visit from Malawi Federation of Co-operatives' (MAFECO) John Mulangeni-Nkosi, Executive Director, and Jeruzye Munthali, Our Malawi Partnership Project Manager, to the UK.
John and Jeru have led our efforts on the ground in Malawi ensuring that all funds generated through Our Malawi Partnership are used to support the priorities as set by the smallholder farmers it’s designed to help.
John and Jeru joined us in the UK for 2 weeks where they visited Centra Co-op stores to see Our Malawi Partnership products in situ, talked about our tree planting promise at one of our funeral homes, delivered an assembly about fair trading and Malawi's culture to an enthusiastic group of children from Streethay Primary School in Lichfield.
Our MAFECO visitors also had meetings with commercial and supplier contacts to explore future product sales opportunities, and attended The Festival of Co-operation in Manchester to share the successes of the partnership and the essential part MAFECO played in this. As part of their packed itinerary, they presented at break-out sessions across Co-op Congress 2025 in Rochdale, and recorded store radio messages and other engaging content to share with our Members in the coming weeks.
The outcome of the trip was to generate greater awareness of the positive impact of Our Malawi Partnership as an initiative for trading development, to invite new partners to join the partnership, and to establish clear ideas for growing the Our Malawi Partnership product range - including the potential introduction of Malawian honey and macadamia oil, which has similar qualities to olive oil but is lower in cholesterol and high in natural antioxidants.
Our Malawi Partnership - 'Building a Better World'.
Our Malawi Partnership has made such a positive difference in Malawi since it launched in 2022. It has also contributed to many of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals which are an urgent call for action by all countries to come together in a global partnership. They recognise that ". . . ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.”
We'd launched a video during Co-op Congress to mark the Our Malawi Partnership initiative’s 3rd anniversary in the UN Year of Co-operatrives. Watch it HERE!
Remember that you can support Our Malawi Partnership by simpy shopping from the range of delicious products you'll find in our stores - everything from chocolate coated macadamia and chilli salt mixes to Malawi blend coffee and rice.
You can learn more about the good the inititive has achieved in Malawi, or even how Co-ops can join the initiative and stock the procucts, by visiting the website HERE
Making a pledge to 'Build a Better World!’
During Co-op Fortnight we asked Members and their families to make a pledge for the future using this year’s theme of ‘Co-operatives Build a Better World.’ We received some lovely responses from Members’ children - including.
“Be kind to people.”
“Aim to be the best that we can be.”
“Give to charity.”
“Buy Fairtrade products.”
“Our community should be kind to everybody and help anyone in need.”
“To let people have an opinion so that we can make choices together.”
“Always try my hardest to change something if it feels wrong.”
“To respect and treat everyone equally no matter what their background.”
All sound like co-operators of the future to us!
Our competition winner Freya, aged 11, from Birmingham shared her firm pledge to change the future - ‘Open my own vets and to save animals.’ She will receive a £10 Central Co-op voucher to spend at any or our stores.
We can already imagine a local veterinarian co-operative emerging in the future!
Just the ticket for Members
Other activity over Co-op Fortnight included activity across our trading estate such as pop-up Golden Ticket events where Members and customers had the opportunity to learn more about Co-operation and Membership whilst enjoying competitions, Fairtrade food tastings and generous prize giveaways!
We Can Be Heroes
In this UN International Year of Co-operatives, we placed a spotlight on a small selection of colleagues who are consistently and passionately delivering excellent service to make a difference.
It’s not only the grand gestures and extreme examples that are worthy of note, but the ongoing commitment by many of our colleagues to deliver an exceptional experience to our Members and customers every day.
Co-op UK’s ‘We can be heroes’ storytelling campaign, profiles excellent colleagues from across the Co-operative community.
When everyday people take small but meaningful steps to co-operate, they create something powerful.
We profiled just a handful of those people throughout Co-op Fortnight and will share more over the coming weeks.
These are our Difference Makers!
International Year of Co‑operatives
Throughout the UN's designated International Year of Co-operatives we'll continue to celebrate the innovaiton, robustness and transformative power of co-ops .
There are so many exampes of co-ops globally addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges to help Build a Better World.
If you know someone who's not already a Member of this pioneering movement - please invite them to join us! MORE HERE