Cooperatives are democratic, jointly owned businesses set up to serve the common needs of their members. There are many types of cooperatives (examples: consumer cooperatives, worker cooperatives, farming cooperatives, housing cooperatives, credit unions) with a diverse set of legal incorporation and governance structures, but cooperatives tend to be organized around the Rochdale principles:

1. Open, voluntary membership.
2. Democratic governance.
3. Limited return on equity.
4. Surplus belongs to members.
5. Education of members and public in cooperative principles.
6. Cooperation between cooperatives.

Credit Unions

• HFS Federal Credit Union
• CU Hawaii
• Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union
• Hawaii First Federal Credit Union
• Hawaii County Employees Federal Credit Union

Agriculture

• Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative - growers and processors of kona coffee and macadamia nuts (http://kpfc.com/)
• Hāmākua Agricultural Cooperative - offers farmers sub-leases on land, storage, irrigation, bulk purchasing  (http://www.hamakuaagcoop.com/)
• Farm Supply Cooperative - agricultural supplier in Hilo (http://www.farmsupplycooperative.com/)
• Ka'u Coffee Growers Cooperative - coffee growsers in Ka'u (http://www.kaucoffeecoop.com/)

Energy

• Hawaii Island Energy Cooperative

Health

• Hilo Health Co-Op (http://www.hilohealth.coop/) - fitness programs and coaching

1. http://kohalacenter.org/business/hawaii-cooperatives