- About Universal
Cooperatives, Inc.
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About Universal | History of Universal | How to Reach Us | Roster of Members
Universal Cooperatives, Inc. is an interregional farm supply cooperative providing manufacturing, distribution and purchasing services for it's members in the United States, Canada and Europe. Universal is owned by 14 regional agricultural cooperatives who collectively represent more than $30 billion in sales, over $11 billion in assets, provide support to over 8,000 retail outlets and over two million co-op customers worldwide. Collectively, our distribution system includes 110 regional feed mills, 26 warehouses, 7 research farms, and over 900 field representatives. As the source-point for many of the products distributed through this network, Universal is able to offer manufacturers the benefits of one-point purchasing and single-source distribution. And for the regional co-ops we serve, we negotiate fair pricing by pooling their purchasing power, assure maintenance of quality control, and arrange efficient distribution. As a cooperative, Universal returns any "profits" to its members in the form of patronage refunds. The cooperative members pay similar refunds to member cooperatives, which pass their "profits" back to the people who own and use this cooperative network. By using the products and services of their local co-op, customers become owners simply by being customers. People are sometimes surprised to learn that the CO-OP "brand name" is one the oldest trademarks in the U.S. It's found on tires, lubricants, batteries, farm chemicals, animal health products, twine and many other products. The CO-OP brand is an assurance of quality and value for people throughout North America. CO-OP is the brand they own. Universal is headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota with production/distribution facilities in Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Canada, Brazil and France.
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