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.

Coming soon!

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

Quarterly Newsletters

Annual reports

What we do/Co-operation/ The Co-operative Solution

The Co-operative Solution

Farmers and crofters benefit by co-operating. Co-operation enables the sharing of risk, reducing costs, increasing resilience, building scale, boosting negotiating power, and sharing of learning and experience.

Agri co-ops can improve the profitability, efficiency, and resilience of their members. And these benefits extend out across Scottish agriculture, providing both business and public benefits to the rural communities they support.

But these advantages and benefits are not guaranteed. Like any type of business, co-ops face challenges. They are often set up to help in difficult circumstances and, like any business, can face operational and governance challenges.

SAOS helps maximise the benefits of co-operation by supporting the set-up and effective running of co-operative and Producer Organisation businesses.

We believe that more support is vital to help tackle the many challenges facing farmers and to meet the Scottish Government’s objectives for agricultural and rural development policy.

Environmentally:
A co-operative (rather than competitive) approach can enable climate change mitigation and nature restoration measures to happen at greater pace and scale.
Socio-economically:
Co-ops are about people. Each co-op member represents a family farm and small business within a rural community, focused on driving value back to the rural communities where it was produced, not to external shareholders.
Economically:
Co-operation and collaboration can add value to produce, supporting the production of high-quality food. A co-operative and collaborative approach retains more value within the Scottish economy, driving efficiencies, enabling innovation, and helping farm businesses reduce their reliance on direct support payments.

Our Three Priorities for Support

Co-op Support Service

We want to maximise the benefits of co-operation by providing more support for the set-up and effective running of co-operative and Producer Organisation businesses and to help raise awareness of the opportunities and benefits they can offer their farmer members.

Find out more

Producer Organisation Aid Scheme

Through co-investment with industry, the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme has supported growth, innovation, efficiency, and positive environmental practices for the sector.

We would like to see this scheme extended and expanded to include Producer Organisations in the dairy sector.

Food Processing, Marketing & Co-operation Scheme

Many farmers and crofters feel they do not get fair returns on their produce, with value also lost from the rural communities in which they operate.

Investment and support thought a FPMC scheme would add value to agricultural products and improve value returned to the businesses and their communities.

Find out more

Key contacts

David Michie

Co-op Development Manager

07384 467 802 | david.michie@saos.coop

Robert Logan

Head of Co-op Development

07502 339613 | robert.logan@saos.coop

Jim Booth

Co-op Development Director

07738 387306 | jim.booth@saos.coop