Member Benefits

Our co-op wouldn’t exist without our 11,000+ members. To show our appreciation and ensure your co-op meets your needs, we offer these benefits to all of our members. Becoming a member is easy and your benefits begin immediately – including a new member 10% discount to use on a full transaction whenever you wish! All good reasons to Shop It, Love It, Own It.

Shop It:

Anytime Discount – Once you become a member, you can take 5% off 6 transactions of your choosing every year. Have family coming over? Refilling the fridge after a long absence? It’s up to you when you choose to save!
Member Discount Events – Four months out of the year, members can save 10% off of one transaction of their choosing. Now’s the time to stock up on those delicious pantry staples – at a great discount! This year’s Member Appreciation Months are: February, May, September and December.
Pre-order Discounts – Buy a case of your favorite product and save 10-25%! Only our members are eligible to receive our pre-order discount on special orders of large quantities or specialty products. (Check with Customer Service for more details.)
Patronage Refund – Because you Own it, Oryana, when business results allow, may choose to refund a percentage of the purchases you made at your business back to you at the end of the year. It’s the cooperative way of supporting our members who support their co-op. You can read more about Patronage below.
Class Discounts – Sign up for an in-person cooking class and get $5 off the registration fee.

Love It:

Local Like You Mean It – Co-ops, by design, are local entities. Oryana supports local growers, buys from local producers, provides a model workplace for our community and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local organizations. Your membership ensures that your dollars get reinvested back into the community you love so much.
Community Partner Discounts – The co-op has some of the coolest friends. Your member card is your ticket to extra savings at dozens of area businesses.

Own It:

Active Governance – Oryana takes membership seriously. The co-op exists solely to fulfill the wants and needs of our members, which means you have a voice. As a member, your vote counts to elect Oryana’s Board of Directors – or – run for the Board yourself! As one of our caring members, you get to help set the direction of Oryana for years to come.
Community – You’ve just joined a community of over 10,000 Oryana members who make caring and thoughtful decisions with their resources. Connect with us through your free subscription to our regular Newsletter, complete with recipes, the latest in food and health news and co-op happenings; our weekly eblasts so you never miss another great deal or announcement; our hands-on cooking classes at a discount; and our Annual Membership Meeting, where we come together to share in good food and great company while hearing the news of the co-op and electing new board members.

*Note: The co-op is a living, thriving cooperative business. As such, benefits are subject to change. If such changes occur, ample communication to members will be provided.

Join your co-op!

A little more about Patronage

What is a patronage rebate?

Co-ops are distinctive businesses based on ownership, which allows them to return excess profit to their owners as rebates that are tax-free. These rebates are called “patronage” rebates because they are based on how much owners “patronized” or spent at the Co-op the previous fiscal year. By law patronage rebates can only come from owner income (not non-owner purchases) and be allocated based on each owner’s purchases (patronage) at the co-op. The profit returned to owners as rebates are funds not needed for new owner services or future projects.

How does it work?

Throughout the year the co-op tracks how much each owner spends, which is why we ask for owner cards at checkout. Generally, if the co-op has made a profit in excess of what it needs to operate, it may return a percentage of that profit back to its owners. The Board of Directors, utilizing the General Manager’s recommendation, determines what percent of the profit will be returned to owners and what percent is retained by the co-op.

Why isn’t all the profit returned to owners?

The co-op needs to retain some of the profit as a financial cushion for lean years or to finance expansion or other owner services. Although owners do not receive this profit as a cash rebate, they, in effect, jointly invest more money to grow the co-op and provide more of the services they want. There may be years when no patronage is returned due to a project or other immediate need of the co-op.

What do owners need to do?

You need to show your ownership card every time you make a purchase so we can track what you have spent during the year. You will need to keep your ownership current and let us know if your address or contact information changes.

When can owners expect a patronage rebate?

Once the fiscal year ends (December 31st) the co-op utilizes the first quarter of the following year to finalize its year-end financials and evaluate its needs, with an announcement about the patronage rebate set for the General Ownership Meeting in April.