About us

Scotland’s experts on farmer co-ops and food industry collaboration, we work with food and farming businesses to make them more profitable, competitive, and sustainable - #workingtogether to shape the future, today.

What we do

All our work helps facilitate farmers and food and drink businesses to work together effectively. Over the years we've expanded and developed subsidiary businesses - getting the right people together and making innovative advancements - to help benefit food, farming and rural Scotland.

Events & Training

Developing staff capability is one of the most effective ways to improve a co-op’s performance. Check out our events and training programme - most of which are open to non co-op members too.

Membership

As a development organisation, owned by our members, we provide a range of specialist services not available elsewhere, to assist them in developing their people and their businesses. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.

What's New

See below for all the latest news, views and updates from us here at SAOS. Find all our latest videos on YouTube at: SAOS - working together in food and farming

Co-op Development Plan

Every year, SAOS undertakes a range of projects to help develop co-operation and collaboration across our members’ co-op businesses and the wider rural community.

The overall aim is to underpin the development of co-ops and contribute to growing co-operation and collaboration towards the following outcomes:

  • Sustainable growth in profitability through increased market-orientation, competitiveness and resource efficiency
  • Increased productivity achieved through accelerated innovation
  • Better connection of agriculture with the food and drink sector
  • Higher levels of resilience to shocks and future challenges
  • A lower carbon and more climate-resilient economy.

The work is funded by Scottish Government through Scotland Food & Drink’s Ambition 2030.

In the current year (2019/20) we have eight distinct projects, many of which are ongoing while some are new, such as the Co-op Innovation Service. Below are all the projects and the benefits to participating co-ops. Another of the benefits of participating is that member co-ops receive a number of free development days from SAOS.