The Cheese Board: A Worker-Owned Collective Since 1971
The Cheese Board opened as a small cheese store in 1967. In 1971, the two original owners sold their business to their employees and created a 100% worker owned business of which they remained a part. The transition to a worker-owned and operated cooperative relied upon a shared work ethic, high standards, and the strong emotional connections among the group. Decisions were made, after much debate, either on the shift or at the monthly meetings. The new owners shared a belief that the collective process would organically create a truly democratic society.
Over time, we have grown in size and in the number of products we sell. We moved from our first storefront around the corner to our current home on Shattuck Avenue. The cheese store and bakery now features an espresso bar, and we sell almost 400 different cheeses and an extensive selection of freshly baked breads and pastries. We have a pizzeria (two doors down from the cheese store and bakery) that sells the pizza of the day, made from fresh ingredients, for lunch and dinner four days a week.
Much of what we have done has come about by chance, by following our passion for food and with the support of our community. The belief that every voice is central has sustained us over the years. We have never wavered from the original vision of a democratic workplace. This commitment has made it possible to constantly reinvent ourselves, while remaining faithful to our political vision, and our belief in good, honest food.
“I love saying to people that this seems like an impossible business model, but it works, and it works very well.”
– Charlie (Former longtime Cheese Board member)
About Collectives
A worker cooperative is an enterprise that produces goods, distributes goods and/or provides services and is owned and controlled by its worker-owners. Ownership of a worker cooperative is vested solely with the worker-owners on an equal basis. Worker-owners control the resources of the cooperative and the work process. The Cheese Board is part of a greater community of cooperatives. For more information please follow these links:
Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives
Federation of Worker Cooperatives
Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NoBAWC)
Join the Collective
The Cheese Board Collective is a worker-owned cooperative. Here is a little about working with The Cheese Board Collective. If you think this sounds like the right place for you submit your information.
Donation Requests
The Cheese Board Bakery & Cheese store and the Cheese Board Pizzeria accepts donation requests from community non-profit organizations and local school events. If you would like to make a request, please use our donation request form.
Our Book
The Cheese Board Collective Works was released in 2003 and presents over 100 recipes for the store’s classic breads, pastries, and pizzas, along with a history of the collective and an extensive cheese primer.
Please support local booksellers like Mrs. Dalloway’s, Books, Inc., and Green Apple Books. Also available online from various merchants, including Powell’s.
