Industry: Food and Beverage
Location: California
Number of employees: 65
Became employee owned: 1971

From the company

• cheeseboardcollective.coop
• The Cheese Board – Collective Works (2003)

Articles

• LEAP – Brand Stories — How Purpose Drives The Cheeseboard Collective (2019)
• Eater – Want Better Working Conditions in Restaurants? Build a Co-op (2018)
• Forbes – How A Modest Berkeley Collective Became The Country’s #1 Pizzeria (2018)
• Mercury News – Berkeley’s Cheese Board Collective acquires space, mulls expansion (2018)
• Quartz – Even a beloved 50-year-old California cheese shop has to keep up with modern technology (2018)
• East Bay Express – Are Co-ops the Future of a Sustainable Restaurant Industry? (2017)
• San Francisco Chronicle – Cheese Board plans to expand in Berkeley (2017)
• Eater – Berkeley’s Cheese Board Will Grow Into Neighboring Produce Center (2017)
• Janet Fletcher – Cheese for the People (2017)
• Business Insider – This is the best pizza place in America, according to Yelp (2016)
• Project Equity – The Cheeseboard Collective: Martha’s Story (2016)
• Priceonomics – The Cheese Board Collective (2015)
• Civil Eats – Cheese Board Collective: 40 years in the Gourmet Ghetto (2011)
• Management Exchange – The Cheese Board Collective: Workers Takes Ownership (2010)
• Yes – Cheese, Bread, and Thou (2004)
• SF Gate – A cheese shop grows in Berkeley / After 36 years, a venerable workers’ collective is still going strong (2003)
• National Radio Project – Working Together: Cooperatives and Social Change (2001)
• SF Gate – Sweet Profits (2000)

Research

• DAWI UWCC – HR Case Studies (Cheese Board excerpt) (2016)
• Gupta – The co-operative model as a ‘living experiment in democracy’(2014)
• Jackall and Crain – aradoxes of Collective Work: A Study of The Cheeseboard, Berkeley CA (1984)

Video

Employee Owned Small Businesses in Food and Beverage

Kalchē Wine Cooperative — Fletcher, VT

The Local Butcher Shop — Berkeley, CA

Proof Bakery — Los Angeles, CA

City Fresh Foods – Boston, MA

Amy’s Place – Buffalo, NY

Slow Bloom Coffee Cooperative – Redlands, CA

Taharka Brothers- Baltimore, MD

Joe Squared – Baltimore, MD

ChiFresh Kitchen – Chicago, IL

Burial Grounds Collective – Olympia, WA

Le Voyeur – Olympia, WA

Rabble Rouser – Montpelier, VT

1149 Cooperative – Philadelphia, PA

Full Stop Filling Station – Louisville, KY

Mujeres Emprendedoras Cooperative – Denver, CO

Rock City Employee Cooperative – Rockland, ME

3Cross Fermentation Cooperative- Worcester, MA

Niles Pie – Union City, CA

A Slice of New York – Santa Clara, CA

The Stud – San Francisco, CA

Zingerman’s – Ann Arbor, MI

The Brooklyn Packers – Brooklyn, NY

Ariza Cheese – Los Angeles, CA

Breadhive – Buffalo, NY

New Moon Cooperative Cafe – Olympia, WA

Real Pickles – Greenfield, MA

Patty Pan Grill – Seattle, WA

Pattycake Bakery – Columbus, OH

Zenful Bites – Washington, DC

Blue Scorcher Bakery – Astoria, OR

Small World Food – Rochester, NY

Local Sprouts – Portland, ME

Civilization – Gainesville, FL

Colors – New York City, NY

King Arthur Flour – Norwich, VT

Matchbox Coffeeshop – Minneapolis, MN

Once Again Nut Butter – Nunda, NY

Cheese Board Collective – Berkeley, CA

Employee Owned Small Businesses in California

The Local Butcher Shop — Berkeley, CA

Promotoras Cooperative — Berkeley, CA

Proof Bakery — Los Angeles, CA

Slow Bloom Coffee Cooperative – Redlands, CA

California Solar Electric Company – Grass Valley, CA

Rockman et al – San Francisco, CA

Adams and Chittenden – Berkeley, CA

Davis Home Pros – Walnut Creek CA

Mariposa Gardening & Design – Berkeley, CA

Sun Light & Power – Berkeley, CA

Box Pack and Ship – Los Angeles, CA

Echo Adventure Cooperative – Groveland, CA

Niles Pie – Union City, CA

A Slice of New York – Santa Clara, CA

The Stud – San Francisco, CA

Scruf Pet Care Collective – Oakland, CA

Ariza Cheese – Los Angeles, CA

Mandela Grocery – Oakland, CA

TeamWorks Cleaning – Sunnyvale, CA

Cheese Board Collective – Berkeley, CA

• LA EWDD – EWDD’s Rapid Response Team & BSC Help Employees Buy Business From Boss (2018)
• LAFLA – City Efforts to Support Small Businesses and Business Cooperatives (2013)

• SF Legacy Business Program  – Becoming Employee Owned Small Business Toolkit (2018)

• Oakland City Council – Resolution Supporting the Development of Worker Cooperatives in Oakland (2015)

• SELC – Press and Info Packet for the Oakland Worker Cooperative Development Ordinance (2016)
• BACE – Letter of Support for Oakland Worker Coop Ordinance (2016)
• Next City – Oakland Is Claiming Its Worker Cooperative Capital Title (2015)
• East Bay Express – Oakland City Council Looks to Provide Support for Worker Cooperatives (2015)

• City of Fremont – State of the City Address
• Forbes – Californian City Looks To Keep Its Factories Locally-Owned

• SELC – Santa Clara says YES to Creating a City for Worker Coops to Thrive (2019)
• USFWC – Santa Clara City Council Supports Worker Cooperatives (2019)
• NCBA – Santa Clara, California is taking steps to invest in worker cooperatives (2019)
• City of Santa Clara – City Council and City Staff study session on Worker Cooperatives (2019)
• Mercury News – How employee ownership can prevent loss of beloved businesses and local jobs (2019)

• City of Berkeley – Worker Cooperative Policy 2017
• City of Berkeley – Resolution Recommendation Feb 2016
• City of Berkeley – Resolution Recommendation Dec 2015
• SELC – Worker Cooperative City Policies
• Bay Area Cooperative Ecosystem – Berkeley’s Worker Cooperative Economy
• SELC – Berkeley Policy to Support Worker Cooperatives 2017
• SELC – Historic Berkeley Vote Supporting Worker Cooperatives
• SELC – Berkeley Worker Cooperative Resolution Passes!
• Berkeleyside – Op-ed: Berkeley worker co-op resolution could usher in equitable economic development (2016)

• City of Richmond – RFQ (July 2011)
• Presentation of Mondragon Cooperative by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Marilyn Langlois of Office of Mayor of Richmond City (Video, October 2010)
• Cooperation Richmond
• Shareable – How Cooperation Richmond is empowering marginalized communities to build an equitable economy (March 2018)
• Terry Baird – Richmond’s Cooperative Initiative (Vide, October 2011)
• Camou – Cities Developing Worker Cooperatives: Efforts in 10 Cities
• Eatable – Local caterers take the boss out of the kitchen (May 2014)
• Financial Times – When the workers run the show (2012)
• Fast Company – Hippie Capitalism: How An Impoverished U.S. City Is Building An Economy On Co-ops (May 2012)
• LA Times – They’re owning this cooperation (November 2011)
• GEO – Richmond, California’s Green Party Mayor Signs “Letter of Intent” with Spain’s Mondragon Coops
• Richmond Confidential – A new business model for Richmond (October 2010)

• City of Santa Ana Community Development Agency- Internal Worker Coop Policy (2018)
• City of Santa Ana – Resolution Supporting the Development and Growth of Worker Cooperatives (2017)
• Santa Ana Policy Economic Development Committee – Update (2017)

• Chispa – Worker Cooperatives Pave The Way For A Community Driven Economy In Santa Ana (2017)
• LA Times – As Santa Ana gentrification hits their pocketbooks, immigrants turn to co-ops to help make ends meet (2017)
• NPQ – Another City Comes Out for Converting Local Businesses into Worker Cooperatives (2017)
• OC Weekly – Santa Ana City Council Takes First Step Towards Supporting Worker Cooperatives (2017)
• Orange County Register – Santa Ana is first Orange County city to formally support worker cooperatives (2017)
• Voice of OC – Santa Ana Officials Endorse Worker-Owned Businesses and Declare Intent to Support Them (2017)