"Alchemy became an officially incorporated worker-owned business last September with the help of a cooperative lawyer that guided its founders through the paperwork. Following in the tradition of Arizmendi Bakery, which has a branch in the Oakland Lakeshore neighborhood, the Mandela Food Cooperative in West Oakland, and a handful of other cooperatives in the city, Alchemy Collective is democratically operated and the first worker-owned business in Oakland that specializes in coffee.

A worker-owned business means that all six of Alchemy’s members have the power to vote on management decisions and the direction of the business, and all receive an equal share of the profits. It’s a model that intended to create employee equality in the workplace with the goal of delivering a higher-quality product….

“We’re lucky to live in a place that has good examples of cooperatives,” Myers said about working in Oakland, “They’ll be more like us popping up and we’re excited about that.”  Look for the Alchemy Collective at the North Oakland farmers market at 5717 Market St. on Saturdays and for their espresso cart at the Biofuel Oasis next month.

To learn more about Alchemy Collective and their Kickstarter campaign, visit their website."

Via Jai Jai Noire