"I hear about small examples here and there, but they are so rare and insignificant [compared] to privately owned organizations." First, your comparison is ina

"I hear about small examples here and there, but they are so rare and insignificant [compared] to privately owned organizations." First, your comparison is inapt, as co-ops are privately owned. Second, there are a number of large cooperative organizations. You've probably heard of REI, for instance. Agricultural cooperatives are a bit of a different beast, but there are a lot of big names there as well - including, off the top of my head, Florida Natural & Tillamook cheese.