The current paper investigates two cooperatives that operate with substantial effect in the daily life of a mountain village in Crete, transforming tradition into identity though social and solidarity economy principles. In Krousonas of Malevizi, in Heraklion, the (men-only) agricultural cooperative was founded in 1925 and remains active until today, after having overcome significant difficulties and with real social impact on the village. On the other hand, the development of women's home-based cooperatives in Greece took place in the late 1990. In Krousonas, the first (women only) home-based cooperative was created, transporting home-made food to a commercial operation in the form of a cottage industry for a village community of women, with a wider audience and customers. Coexistence in the same geographical area, cooperation, and complementarity but also the concerns and selfishness and stereotypes that are identified are the main points of study: foreigners in the same city or extended families for the greater  good of the community?

Cooperatives seem to be an effective participatory strategy to bootstrap local communities to the

socio-economic mainstream, both for men and women. In Crete, one of the largest islands of EU

in Greece, cooperatives are the most common ventures for Social and Solidarity Economy.

In the small town of Krousonas on the foothills of the Cretan mountain of Psiloritis, home

economics evolves to cottage industry and manufacturing cooperatives.

The Agricultural Cooperative of Krousonas (ASK) was established with the mission to

manage the olive farms and oil production of the village, a labor-intensive activity exercised by

males. Several decades later women (only) took the initiative to move from cottage industry

baking to a manufacturing cooperative by founding “Krousaniotissa” (AOSK), as a

live/work coop of small-scale combining family-run small crafts activities that play a significant role in various economies worldwide.

A qualitative study with participant observation while they operate, interviews with

informants and structured discussions investigates what kind of problems they face, if these

cooperatives remain financially independent today, what is the social impact of the coexistence

of the two cooperatives in a mountain village, how members and employees feel about their

participation in them etc. The current research integrates financial reports to address questions

of economic efficiency and scaling for the collaboration of ASK and AOSK.

Through the process of qualitative research, these two cooperatives are examined from their establishment till their daily operation.

• What is the level of business robustness and independence?
• What is the social work and the social impact of the copresence of the two cooperatives in the same community in a mountain village of Heraklion?
• How do members and employees feel about participating in them?