Grown by Hippies

What We're Building

A worker-owned agricultural cooperative that grows food, supports local farmers, and distributes fresh produce to our community—starting in the Seattle area and scaling across Cascadia.

We're a group of hippies who know how to run a business. Democratic, environmentally conscious, community-oriented, and countercultural—but competent. No CEO. No investors extracting profit. Just people who believe good food and meaningful work shouldn't require selling out.

How It Works

Producer members grow food using their own space—a garage, a greenhouse, a backyard, a farm. The cooperative aggregates, markets, and distributes what we grow. Producers get paid when products sell.

Worker members handle the business side—logistics, distribution, education, outreach. Workers are owners, not employees. Everyone gets paid fairly. No volunteering disguised as opportunity.

Consumer members subscribe to CSA boxes and support our mission. They get fresh, local food and a voice in how we operate.

We start with microgreens grown in garages and greenhouses. We partner with local farms to offer diverse CSA boxes. We teach people how to grow their own food. Over time, we acquire land, expand our producer network, and build something that lasts.

What We Believe

Worker ownership is non-negotiable. The people who do the work control the business and share in what it creates.

Democracy takes structure. We use clear, sociocratic decision-making—not endless meetings, not top-down control. Consent over consensus. Circles over hierarchy.

Technology is a tool, not a threat. We use AI and automation to work smarter, improve our operations, and strengthen our values—not to replace people.

Everyone belongs. We welcome people of all backgrounds, races, and identities. We don't need a policy manual to tell us to treat people with dignity. That's just who we are.

Competence matters. Being countercultural doesn't mean being disorganized. We track our numbers. We pay our bills. We build something sustainable.

What We're Looking For

We're recruiting founding members—people who want to build this with us from the ground up. You might be:

• Someone with growing space (garage, greenhouse, yard, farm) who wants to produce and sell through the cooperative
• Someone with skills in logistics, marketing, finance, or operations who wants to help run a democratic business
• Someone who's dreamed of starting something like this but didn't want to do it alone

You don't need to be an expert grower or a business veteran. You need to share our values, show up reliably, and be willing to learn alongside us.

The Path Forward

Now: Assemble founding members. Start growing. Start selling. Learn what works.

Year one: Incorporate as a Washington cooperative. Establish producer and consumer membership tiers. Launch CSA pilot. Secure initial funding.

Year two and beyond: Expand producer network. Partner with more farms. Acquire land. Scale across Cascadia while keeping our values intact.

Interested?

If this resonates, let's talk. We're building something different—and we're looking for people who want to build it with us.

[Contact information]

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Grown by Hippies is a worker-owned cooperative based in the Seattle area.