La Coop at the 3rd Cooperatives International Summit

Quebec City - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 – La Coop fédérée, Quebec and Canadian agriculture and agri-food leader, will be present at the 3rd International Summit of Cooperatives as a major partner. The event will be held from October 11-13, 2016 under the theme “Cooperatives: The Power to Act”. The organization will join with other cooperatives, leaders and influencers from the cooperative and mutuals sector to celebrate what intercooperation brings to the world’s economies buffeted by technological change, financial crises and geopolitics.

“As well as being the first place agri-food cooperative in Québec, and second in Canada, La Coop fédérée plays not only a leading role in the Quebec and Canadian economies but is also a major actor in the world cooperative sector. We are the 24th largest in the world in our sector,” explained the president of La Coop fédérée, Ghislain Gervais. “In nearly 100 years of history, La Coop fédérée has traversed many crises and storms. It’s business model, its distinctive values, its resilience and its capacity to innovate, have all allowed it to stay relevant for its members and for consumers,” he added.

International Partnerships, Growth Vectors for Cooperatives
Within the framework of the Summit, La Coop fédérée and the French cooperative Invivo will participate in the organization of an Agriculture & Agri-Food Sectoral Forum during which the results of a study conducted by PWC on international cooperative partnerships in the agriculture sector will be unveiled. This workshop, which will take place on October 12th from 2:15 pm to 5:15 pm, will enhance the understanding of just how international partnerships are a growth vector for agricultural cooperatives within a context of consolidation. “There is an enormous amount of consolidation in the agricultural sector in recent years. La Coop fédérée must be on the lookout for opportunities as they present themselves,” explained the CEO of La Coop fédérée, Gaétan Desroches. “This biennial meeting being held in Quebec is an excellent opportunity to remember the strength and the power of cooperatives to act in the real economies of both towns and regions,” he concluded.  

About La Coop fédérée
Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is the largest agri-food organization in Quebec. It is owned by more than 90,000 members grouped together within 72 cooperatives located across several Canadian provinces and it is present throughout the agri-food chain. As a wholesaler, La Coop fédérée provides agricultural producers with the goods and services necessary for their operations. Its activities are separated into three divisions: Agribusiness (livestock and crop productions, and marketing grains, under the Elite and La Coop brands), Retail and Innovation (energy, hardware and farm machinery under the Sonic, Unimat, BMR, and Agrizone brands), and Meats (under the Olymel, Flamingo and Lafleur brands). La Coop fédérée employs 12,200 people with revenues reaching $5.992 billion. Including its affiliated cooperatives, La Coop fédérée counts more than 18,350 employees and combined revenues of $9.6 billion. www.lacoop.coop Twitter: @LaCoop_federee

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Source:
Ben Marc Diendéré
Senior Vice-president, Communications, Public Affairs & Brand Image

Media Contact:
Marie-Hélène Cliche
Director of Corporate Communications
514-347-5939 | marie-helene.cliche@lacoop.coop