It is difficult to pinpoint who introduced the idea of a Co-op in Florenceville. In 1945, Board meetings were held at the home of Stafford
Banks, the Provisional President of the Board.
The first provisional Board met twice monthly through 1945.
The first recorded minutes were from September 13, 1945. The Board was already actively seeking land on which to erect a creamery. This land was purchased from S.N. Banks for $200 an acre.
In November 1945 the Board met with Deputy Minister of
Agriculture Mr. J.K. King; the Director of the Credit Union and Co-operative
branch, Mr. S.W. Keohan; and Mr. A.E. Raymond, Assistant Agricultural District
Representative of Carleton County. Learning about how Co-ops were
organized was a priority for the Board.
The creamery was designed by J. Arnold Roberts, of the Department of Agriculture. The building's construction was overseen by Stafford Banks. In January 1946, the Co-op began advertising for the position for a manager at the new creamery.
The charter to incorporate was granted on February 27, 1946. The signatures on the charter are those of the Minister of Agriculture A.C. Taylor and J.K. King.
The First Annual General Meeting
The Organizational Meeting, the first Annual General Meeting, was held on March 28, 1946 at the Masonic Hall, Florenceville. S.W. Koehan spoke to the members about all that was involved in setting up a Co-op. George Johnson shared his experiences as the manager of another new dairy Co-operative, the Capital Co-operative of Fredericton. The new Board created at that meeting consisted of:
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The meetings of 1946 dealt with all the preparations for the creamery's construction, acquiring equipment, selling of share capital and financing.
In October1946, the Board approached the bank for a loan. The loan was endorsed by each Director. In December of 1946 they approached the Department of Agriculture about a government guaranteed loan.
At a meeting in March 1947 it was decided to put on a share drive. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Percy Prior addresses members regarding the importance of recruitment in a letter dated March 4, 1947:
"(This letter) is important..... don't throw it away before you read it. Your Directors, after meeting many difficulties have a creamery building erected, are finishing the inside work, have equipment ordered and hope to be in operation May 1st. There are still many difficulties to overcome and the most pressing one is lack of finances. If you know of any one among your neighbors or friends....this is your organization. Co-operative means everyone working together...."
Each Board member and share holder was given the task of selling share capital to prospective members. The first share was sold to George MacFarland on September 24, 1945.
At the second annual meeting on April 11, 1947, J.K. King explained that a guaranteed loan would be possible after $30,000 was pledged. He spoke about the need for members' support and determination.
Creamery Begins Operations
The first Board meeting to be held at the creamery building took place on May 22, 1947. The new manager Harry Bruce was present at this meeting.
On June 9, 1947 tragedy struck Carleton Co-op when Percy
Prior, his father and Board member J. Isaac Gallagher were killed in a train
accident at the creamery site.
The plant went into operation in June 1947. Since the plant was not fully operational, the first cream was shipped to Mr. Johnson in Fredericton for processing. At this time Carleton Co-op was also involved in the sale of pesticides and in the gathering of eggs. An egg grading station was added in October 1947.
In 1949 a farm store was opened at the creamery. This store sold hardware and farm supplies, feeds, fertilizers and petroleum. Some farm supplies and paints had been sold through the creamery office prior to this.
Expanding our services
The services offered by the Co-op continued to expand. As early as 1952 Carleton Co-op received authorization to service members' motor cars. Maybe that's why each member was to "bring a carload" of friends and family to a special meeting to be held November 1952.
Carleton Co-op has always been involved with the needs of the community. In 1952 permission was given to Florenceville High School to use the Board rooms for classes due to a fire at the school.
Expanded services and increased community involvement paid off. At the annual meeting in 1952 Mr. Koehan congratulated Carleton co-op for having the best financial standing of any Co-op in the province of New Brunswick.
Co-operative Auction Sales were started in 1957, when the Department of Agriculture began promoting auction sales as a means of obtaining better cattle prices.
These were held in a rented barn in Centreville. Because
of their success, a new auction barn was constructed in Florenceville in 1959.
By 1961 the sales volume from livestock sales had risen to $412,329.
During the sixties, Carleton Co-op underwent a period of great expansion. A newly built Farm Supply store was opened in 1960. At the annual meeting of 1963, Mr. Daigle, Director of Co-operatives names Carleton Co-op, one again, as the most financially successful Co-operative in New Brunswick. 1964 saw the purchase of the Feed Mill.
The Carleton Co-op gas bar opened in 1966 and in 1968 the Sewage Treatment plant was installed.
Growth in the 1970's included the expansion of the feed mill, opening of the grain terminal on August 28, 1976 and the Quonset Hut Show Barn was erected.
Responding to Members
1983 saw the building of a new show barn for the ever increasing livestock sales. During the 1980's Carleton Co-op, though still agricultural based, responded tot he needs of members with the opening of a Direct Charge grocery store in 1989. The Grocery Store was expanded in 2001 and a Subway was added.
The feed mill was closed in 1991. In 1995, the creamery,
what started it all for our Co-op, was sold to Northumberland Dairies.
This was a difficult decision for all involved. However, since the 1960's,
production of milk for drinking has increased while butter and cheese production
have been on a steady decline.
The termination of our butter production shows that your Co-op responds to the changing needs of its member-owners. Our Co-op is owned and controlled by the people it serves. All decisions are made in the best interest of its members. For example, in December 1995 we put in new gas pumps to better serve members.
The most important factor that has contributed to the survival and success of our Co-op has been the people. We appreciate the dedication of the volunteers who make up the Board of Directors. As a Co-op we govern ourselves through a Board elected by the general membership. Since 1945, these men and women have put in countless hours toward running our Co-op. We are indebted to them all. Over the years we have also been lucky to have a very hard working staff. Without their hard work and commitment we would not be able to provide the tremendous service our members have come to expect.
While we have experienced hardships throughout the years, we have survived. A fire in 1987 caused $50,000 in damage to the creamery and farm store but we pulled through together. Our Co-op had its beginnings in the "fighting forties" and has continued to stand strong for five decades. We look forward to a future as rich as our history.
