Learn
The ideas we work from
Short, plain introductions to the three ideas Common Grounds is built on. Written for coffee shop owners first, and for anyone curious how a group of independent businesses can run something together.
Guide 1What is a cooperative?What a cooperative is, the seven cooperative principles, and why independent businesses form one to buy, learn and solve problems together.Read the guideGuide 2What is sociocracy?Circles, domains, consent and review dates: a short guide to sociocracy, the way of organizing that Common Grounds simplifies for busy owners.Read the guideGuide 3Coffee and the circular economyWhere a coffee shop's waste goes, which of it has a second use, and why measuring it is the first step toward keeping it out of the landfill.Read the guide
See it in practice
The guides explain the ideas. The model pages show how Common Grounds puts them to work, including the parts still being decided.