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.

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.  

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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 .