During the Conventus meeting in Warsaw, the participants had opportunities to meet some local cooperative societies. They represented various size, age and type of activity.<\/p>\n
\u201eSpo\u0142em\u201d WSS \u015ar\u00f3dmie\u015bcie, founded in 1869, is one of the oldest, still operating, cooperative societies in Poland and the first consumers\u2019 coop. Established according to the Rochdale model as \u201cConsumer Society Merkury\u201d, soon after it had been founded, the coop opened its first grocery shop on Nowy \u015awiat street in the center of Warsaw. In following years next shops were appearing, Merkury became also a pattern for establishing similar coops in other Polish towns. After several changes, reconstructions and transformations, the cooperative survived two world wars, the years of communism, when cooperative movement was totally subordinated to the state, and was able to overcome all the difficulties that were threatening its further existence. It operates now as a modern retail enterprise based on the involvement of its members. It owns at present a chain of 24 retail outlets in the city center, including two big department stores. The cooperative cares in particular about good services and high quality of products \u2013 among them certified organic food and cooperative products. It also conducts several activities regarding preservation of natural environment, as well as social, educational and cultural initiatives addressed to the community, in particular youth and elder people, members, employees and retired employees. It supports as well new cooperative phenomena as social cooperatives.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The participants from Conventus met Mrs. Anna Tylkowska, the President of the cooperative, in the office of SEZAM Department Store on May 27<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup> . Mrs. Tylkowska talked about the history of the cooperative, its present activities and the plans for the future, among others on the total reconstruction of SEZAM. She stressed the role of cooperative training courses for the cooperative employees and members conducted by cooperative organizations as National Cooperative Council or National Auditing Union of Consumers Cooperatives \u201cSpo\u0142em\u201d. At the end of the visit the participants had opportunity to see the department store and make some shopping. They were impressed by the number and quality of the products made by various cooperatives (dairy coops, cooperative bakeries etc.) labeled with special logo. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Contact: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201eSpo\u0142em\u201d Warszawska Sp\u00f3\u0142dzielnia Spo\u017cywc\u00f3w \u015ar\u00f3dmie\u015bcie<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ul. Nowy \u015awiat 53, 00-042 Warszawa<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n e-mail: sekretariat@wss.spolem.org.pl<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n www.wss.spolem.org.pl<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \n Husbandry and Agricultural Cooperative \u201eDawidy\u201d, located in Dawidy in the neighbourhood of Warsaw (about 20 km from the city centre) was established originally in Warsaw in 1959 as Husbandry and Agricultural Cooperative \u201cMink\u201d, and was involved in industrial husbandry of furry animals (mainly minks), rabbits, pigs, chickens and ducks. It also exported rabbits and frogs and started some fruit and vegetables processing. The cooperative, because of ecological reasons, was moved soon out of the city limits, to Dawidy, its present headquarters. In the 70-ies the cooperative invested in constructing modern greenhouses of total area of 4 hectares. During next decades, when \u201cDawidy\u201d had to withdraw from less profitable kinds of production, this became the main cooperative\u2019s activity. Today it is one of the leading in Poland wholesale suppliers of ornamental plants and seedlings (potted, for balconies, gardens etc., both from own floriculture and imported from the Netherland and tropical countries). Several products are exported, the cooperative also has own retail outlet. As supplementary activity, potatoes and cereals are grown on 80 hectares of the own fields; the tourist attraction are the cooperative\u2019s fish ponds that give the opportunity for fishing. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The participants from Conventus visited the \u201cDawidy\u201d cooperative headquarters on May 28<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span><\/sup>. They met the President Mr. Tomasz Kowalski who made a presentation on his cooperative\u2019s history and present. He stressed the fact that all \u201cDawidy\u201d members are employees of the cooperative, most of them are descendants of its founders or their family members what contributes \u2013 together with touchable financial effects of their work \u2013 to strong involvement in the cooperative\u2019s co-management and to building tough links among them. Mr. Kowalski also talked on training, cultural and social care (the coop conducts own clinic) for the members and their families. The meeting was completed by a tour guided by Mr. Kowalski across \u201cDawidy\u201d premises. The participants admired in particular the greenhouse with hundreds of beautiful plants and flowers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n After the meeting in \u201cDawidy\u201d the participants made a visit to neighbour \u017belazowa Wola, the birthplace of Fryderyk Chopin. They saw the small museum, the manor house where the great Polish composer was born and admired the beautiful park surrounding the manor. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Contact: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Hodowlano-Rolnicza Sp\u00f3\u0142dzielnia \u201cDawidy\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 02-800 Warszawa 93, Dawidy<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n hrsdawidy@hrsdawidy.pl<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n