# Questions and answers

> Direct answers about Common Grounds Cooperative: who runs it, whether it is a legal cooperative yet, what joining involves, and how shop data is handled.

Canonical: https://commongroundscoop.org/faq

## The cooperative

### What is Common Grounds Cooperative?

A cooperative of independent coffee shops in Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix that work together on their waste and their costs. Each shop stays independent, and the Members decide shared questions together, by consent. Meet the Members: /members

### Is Common Grounds a legal cooperative yet?

Not yet. The Members are choosing the legal structure, which could be a cooperative, an LLC, a nonprofit or a mix of these. Until one is formed, the group works under a draft governance document that it reviews as it goes, and nobody holds legal equity or profit-sharing rights. How the cooperative works: /model

### Do the shops stay independent?

Yes. Each shop keeps control of its own staff, space, menu, brand, suppliers, money and data. A shared decision applies to a shop only when that shop agrees to it.

### Who runs Common Grounds?

Its Members: the coffee shops in the Founding Circle, which makes the decisions that affect the whole cooperative. Circular Earth, a sustainability consultancy, works alongside them as the Sustainability Partner. Meet the Members: /members

## Joining

### Can my business join?

If it is an independent coffee shop in Arizona, yes: tell us about it, and a Member will be in touch about the path to membership. Other local food businesses can register interest now, and the cooperative expects to open to them once its first project shows what works. Get involved: /join

### What does membership cost?

Nothing is charged yet. Dues have not been decided, and the Members will set them only once the benefits and the costs they cover are clear. Telling us you are interested costs nothing.

### Can I take part without owning a shop?

Yes. The draft membership classes include volunteers, who help with circles and projects, and invited advisors, who bring knowledge of one topic. Neither pays dues, and neither takes part in the decisions reserved to Members. Membership and the pathway: /model/membership

## Projects and data

### What is ROAST?

Resource Optimization And Sustainability Tracking, the cooperative's proposed first project. It would build tools for small businesses to track their waste, trade surplus supplies and pool their data, then pilot them with twelve Arizona businesses. It depends on funding: an application to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is under review. About the ROAST pilot: /projects/roast

### Will my shop's data be shared?

Not without your consent. The cooperative collects the least data that is useful, reports figures in aggregate by default, and publishes nothing about a single shop unless that shop agrees. Data and trust: /model/data

## The model

### How does the cooperative make decisions?

Mostly by consent: a proposal goes ahead when nobody has a reasoned objection that it is unsafe, unworkable or harmful to the purpose. Routine choices are made in conversation, and the biggest commitments, such as forming the legal entity, need everyone with a say to agree. How we make decisions: /model/decisions

### Can we copy your model?

Yes, please. The model pages describe how the cooperative is organized in enough detail for another group of businesses to adapt it to their own situation. How the cooperative works: /model

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Common Grounds Cooperative. Since 2026.
Source: https://commongroundscoop.org/