91大黄鸭

Skip to content

VIDEO: Otter co-op turns 100

A birthday party with cake, speeches and fun activities marks the anniversary

Otter Co-op has been serving members at the same approximate location in Langley for 100 years.

On Wednesday, Oct 19, the co-op celebrated its anniversary at the Langley retail centre at 3650 248th Street with live music, food trucks and other attractions from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Co-op Chief Executive Officer Jack Nicholson was 鈥渧ery proud鈥 to be celebrating the occasion, noting only a very small percentage of businesses make it to 100 years.

To mark the milestone, Nicholson said Otter was planning to distribute $100,000 to 100 deserving groups, who will be named later this month. That鈥檚 in addition to the more than $400,000 Otter already raises each year through donations, sponsorship and grants.

Otter board of directors president Charlie Fox said it was a 鈥減retty rare thing鈥 for a business to last 100 years, and still be in roughly the same location where it first started.

From 鈥渉umble beginnings鈥 as a farmer-founded cooperative, Fox said Otter has grown to where it will take in $400 million this year.

On Oct. 14th, as it does every years the Co-op distributed profits to Otter members in cash and equity for their 2021 purchases. This year it totalled $5.9 million.

Fox attributed the success to what he described as the 鈥渇our F鈥檚.鈥

鈥淔ood, farm and feed, fuel, and fine spirits,鈥 Fox said.

Among the well-wishers who spoke, Elvizio Del Bianco from the British Columbia Co-op Association said co-ops are 鈥渞esilient鈥 鈥 twice as likely to survive compared to other businesses, and they do it by providing 鈥渁 real and democratic alternative to extractive corporations.鈥

Township mayor Jack Froese, a long-time Otter member, talked about the social aspects of belonging to a co-op, saying 鈥渢his isn鈥檛 just a retail store where you go an buy things, it鈥檚 a community where you go to meet friends.鈥

Froese presented Nicholson with a certificate from the municipality, thanking Otter for 鈥100 years of service and leadership in the community.鈥

MP Tako van Popta sent a message wishing the co-op a 鈥渉appy birthday,鈥 and calling the anniversary a 鈥渟ignificant milestone.鈥

Opening with a blessing from Kwantlen First Nation鈥檚 Kevin Kelly and son Michael Kelly Gabriel, the event included live music by the NiTeHawks, a giant birthday cake, food trucks along with children鈥檚 games and a petting zoo by Aldor Acres.

Otter Co-op board of directors president Charlie Fox discovered water had seeped into a time capsule from the 1980聮s, ruing the contents. It was opened on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Langley retail centre聮s its 100th anniversary. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)
Otter Co-op board of directors president Charlie Fox discovered water had seeped into a time capsule from the 1980鈥檚, ruing the contents. It was opened on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Langley retail centre鈥檚 its 100th anniversary. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

A time capsule buried at the site in the 1980鈥檚 was opened for the occasion, and proved something of a disappointment, with the discovery that water seepage had destroyed the photos and documents tucked away inside the length of pipe.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 make it out,鈥 Fox said, as he tried to separate some newspaper pages, so rotted it was impossible to identify the publisher.

Only a mildewed Otter baseball cap and pen, two corroded coins and what might have been a flyer for the co-op from that era survived.  

READ ALSO:

Otter Co-op operates from locations throughout the Lower Mainland and Okanagan, including three grocery and pharmacy stores, clothing and hardware stores, 26 Angry Otter liquor stores, two feed mills, a feed and Hardware store, two gas stations and 35 gas stations/convenience stores.

Holding include the Angry Otter Tap & Forno, the Angry Otter Brewery in North Vancouver and the Highwayman Pub in Abbotsford.

More images from the birthday party can be seen online at the .


Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on and follow us on .


Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I鈥檓 the guy you鈥檒l often see out at community events and happenings around town.
Read more



(or

91大黄鸭

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }