Electric co-ops are widespread and well known. They serve an estimate 42 million people across 47 states and deliver power to the country’s most rural areas. To do this, electric co-ops maintain 42 percent of the nations’ power lines (2.5 million miles) and cover 75 percent of the landmass in the United States. They are also pillars in the small town communities they’ve served for decades. When you talk about a cooperative, most people will associate the word with electricity.

But cooperatives aren’t just limited to the electricity industry. In fact, you’ll find cooperatives in a wide range of industries, from food and breweries to insurance and banking. And while the nation is full of small town cooperatives like SPEC, not all co-ops are small. Some of the nation’s leading companies are cooperatives that serve millions of customers, or members.

1. Food cooperatives

Food cooperatives are like member-owned grocery stores. They focus on locally grown products and making a positive economic impact in the community. For every dollar spent at a food co-op, $0.38 is reinvested in the local economy compared to $0.24 at a conventional grocery store, according to a study, Healthy Foods Healthy Communities: The Social and Economic Impacts of Food Co-ops.

Food cooperatives have become increasingly popular as people all over the world look ways to shop locally, eat organic and live sustainably. Although these stores are open to anyone in the public, only members get a say in how the business is run and may be eligible for a cut of the profits. There aren’t any cooperative grocery stores in the Coastal Bend, but there is one food cooperative in Texas: Wheatsville Co-op in Austin.

2. Brewing cooperatives

The cooperative business model has been around for decades, but that doesn’t mean new businesses aren’t latching onto the concept. The latest trend is to create brewing cooperatives. The first such cooperative, Black Star Brewing, was established in 2010 in Austin.

Black Star Brewing is owned by its members and its business decisions are directed by a member-elected board of directors. In addition to having a stake in the company, members receive discounts, invitations to member only events and free beer on the anniversary of their co-op membership. As of May 2014, the co-op had 3,300 members.

The idea has quickly caught on. Today brewing cooperatives have started popping up all over the United States, from Seattle to Minnesota and beyond.

3. Credit unions

There are hundreds—if not thousands—of credit unions in the United States. Some are small and local. Others, such as the Navy Federal Credit Union, serve millions of members.

Like all other kinds of cooperatives, credit unions are run by members. They are not-for-profit and pay back their earning in the form of competitive rates. Credit unions typically offer the same products as a bank. You can open a savings, checking or retirement account. You can even apply for a credit card, auto loan or mortgage. 

Membership eligibility often varies by credit union. Some will allow fairly open membership and you’re eligible to join if you live in a particular county or were referred by a current member. Others can be a bit more restrictive, requiring that you are part of a certain organization, such as the military, to join.

4. Insurance Cooperatives

Insurance cooperatives are also owned and governed by the members they serve. There are plenty of small cooperative insurance companies that play vital roles in rural communities. (Your local Farm Bureau might fall into this category.) But, there are also large insurance companies that practice the co-op business model. Nationwide, for example, is one of the biggest cooperatives in the world.

5. Retail Cooperatives

Retail cooperatives operate a little differently than other co-ops because it’s the business owner who becomes the member. One of the best examples of this is Best Western. Each hotel owner is a member of Best Western, the cooperative. And they each pay up to 1.5 percent of their revenue back to the cooperative.

These membership contributions give the international chain a pool of money that is redistributed in the form of member services. This is how the cooperative pays for its rewards programs, reservation systems, advertising campaigns, design services and more.

Ace Hardware and True Value are other prominent examples of the retail cooperative model.

6. Producer Cooperative

Producer cooperatives are owned and operated by those who produce goods or services (farmers, artists, craftsmen, fishermen, etc.). They all pay into the cooperative for mutual benefit. By pooling their resources, producer cooperatives often gain greater buying power, which can be used for savings on insurance, equipment, marketing, advertising, processing plants or distribution networks.

Some of the nation’s leading companies fall under the category of producer cooperative, including Land O’Lakes, Sunkist, Ocean Spray, Florida’s Natural and Cabot Creamery.