Several cooperatives leased storage facilities at many points 

 throughout the United States. 



* In the last 5 years, 14 of the 47 cooperative processors had 

 expanded--ll added 13 units through purchase and 6 added 11 

 units through merger. Three cooperatives used both methods to 

 expand . 



* The 44 cooperatives with direct grower membership had an average 

 membership of 669. The Western States cooperatives averaged 

 1,044 members a cooperative while the Eastern States ones averaged 

 356 members . 



About one-third of the 44 cooperatives had less than 100 members; 

 another one-third had between 100 and 500 members; and the re- 

 maining one-third's membership exceeded 500 members. 



* Forty-three of the 47 cooperative fruit and vegetable processors 

 had marketing contracts with their members. Eighteen of these 

 43 marketing contracts required that members market their total 

 production through the cooperative. 



* The majority of the 47 fruit and vegetable processing coopera- 

 tives were not associated by contract or membership with other 

 organizations. Only 15 of the cooperatives were associated with 

 other organizations for sales purposes; 6 for purposes of proc- 

 essing; and 7 for purchasing supplies. Approximately 30 percent 

 of total sales of the 47 processing cooperatives went through 

 associated organizations. 



* Ten of the 47 fruit and vegetable processing cooperatives sold 

 through cooperative sales agencies. Six out of the ten were 

 required to deliver the total quantity of their product to the 

 cooperatives sales agency; three indicated the quantity deliv- 

 ered was optional to their own organization; and one indicated 

 the quantity delivered was fixed but less than 100 percent. 



* Chains purchased 42 percent of the total sales; wholesalers 26 

 percent; other processors 11 percent; and institutions 5 percent. 



The 47 fruit and vegetable processors made about one-third of 

 their chain, store sales direct and two-thirds through brokers. 

 Direct sales to chains were 48 percent for the Western States ; 

 34 percent for the Central States; and 23 percent for the 

 Eastern States. Broker sales to chains were 77 percent for the 

 Eastern States; 66 percent for the Central States; and 52 per- 

 cent for the Western States. 



11 



