Data

Location
Nunda
New York
United States
Scope of Operations & Activities
Organization
Sector
For Profit
General Issues
Economics
Business
Labor & Work
Specific Topics
Food & Nutrition
Collections
Linking Participation and Economic Advancement
Links
Once Again Nut Butter
Videos
What it means to work for employee-owned Once Again Nut Butter
General Types of Methods
Internal management or organization
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate decision-making
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Cooperative Management

ORGANIZATION

Once Again Nut Butter

Location
Nunda
New York
United States
Scope of Operations & Activities
Organization
Sector
For Profit
General Issues
Economics
Business
Labor & Work
Specific Topics
Food & Nutrition
Collections
Linking Participation and Economic Advancement
Links
Once Again Nut Butter
Videos
What it means to work for employee-owned Once Again Nut Butter
General Types of Methods
Internal management or organization
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate decision-making
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Cooperative Management

Once Again Nut Butter is a 100% worker-owned cooperative in New York state.

Mission and Purpose

Once Again Nut Butter (OANB) is a 100% employee-owned company with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The company is also governed as a worker-owned cooperative.

The company functions on the basis of fair compensation: income that is generated in the business is distributed at a 4:1 compensation ratio of highest to lowest paid employees and profit-sharing bonuses are distributed equally to all owners. The employee-owners meet on a regular basis and have a vote on how the company is managed. Company meetings address the company policies, operational issues, and financial strategies. Committees are also formed to help resolve issues, which are subject to a final company vote (1 person = 1 vote). At upper management, there are at least 3 employee-owners sitting on the Board of Directors.

Origins and Development

The company was founded in 1976 by Jeremy Thaler and Constance Potter.

Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding

The company functions on the basis of fair compensation: income that is generated in the business is distributed at a 4:1 compensation ratio of highest to lowest paid employees and profit-sharing bonuses are distributed equally to all owners. The employee-owners meet on a regular basis and have a vote on how the company is managed. Company meetings address the company policies, operational issues, and financial strategies. Committees are also formed to help resolve issues, which are subject to a final company vote (1 person = 1 vote). At upper management, there are at least 3 employee-owners sitting on the Board of Directors.

Specializations, Methods and Tools

OANB has an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, explained as follows:

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is an employee benefit plan that makes business owners its employees. At Once Again, the employee-owners own 100% of the company. The shares of our company stock is allocated to our accounts and must vest before we are entitled to receive them. “Vesting” is a process whereby we become entitled to an increasing percentage of our accounts over time. We receive the vested portion of our accounts at termination, disability, death, or retirement. These distributions are made in a lump sum or in installments over a period of five years. If we become disabled or die, our beneficiaries receive the vested portion of our ESOP accounts right away [1].


As well as being a worker-owned cooperative, OANB enables participation in its decision-making procedures through regular meetings, where each employee-owners has one vote. In addition to this, the company has a flat structure without hierarchy.

Major Projects and Events

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Analysis and Lessons Learned

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Publications

See Also

References

[1] Once Again Nut Butter (2020). Employee Ownership. Available at: https://onceagainnutbutter.com/our-company/employee-ownership/ (Accessed on 29 July 2020).

External Links

https://onceagainnutbutter.com/

Notes

The first submission of this Participedia entry was adapted from an entry by the Institute of Development Studies as part of their research project 'Linking Participation and Economic Advancement’ licensed and reproduced under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0): https://www.eldis.org/keyissues/mapping-participation-economic-advancement