Check out A Discussion Course on Co-ops. A great discussion guide for anyone thinking about cooperative efforts.

Mission Statement

We are a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing technical and research assistance to groups who wish to organize as cooperatives. Through this we meet the economic and business development needs of rural and non-rural areas in the multi-state area of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.

Vision Statement

Our mission is to sustain communities, economies, and resources in rural areas through cooperatively owned businesses.

Need a business consultant for feasibility studies and business planning? We have experienced staff and consultants.

Who are we?

The Keystone Development Center was created in 1998 by an all-volunteer group of individuals, including one farmer and several working at various service organizations. All were devoted to cooperative and rural development in Pennsylvania. KDC was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1999 with a mission to promote economic development in Pennsylvania’s rural and under-served communities through the utilization of the cooperative business model. KDC’s activities are designed to support the following goals:

Provide quality locally-controlled technical assistance
Coordinate existing cooperative development resource providers to reduce duplication of effort.
Increase understanding of, and support for, cooperatives through education
Provide access to financial assistance

KDC continues to be governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of professionals in cooperative development and rural economic and community development. They are a hands-on board and regularly assist in KDC projects. The board currently includes the following organizations: MidAtlantic Farm Credit; Adams Electric Cooperative; Penn State Cooperative Extension; the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture; the Community Development Corporation of Butler County; the Center for Rural Pennsylvania; CoBank, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. We also have a full time farmer on our board and an ex officio board member from USDA.

Past projects include the following:

Worked with other partners to form and support a marketing cooperative of small to medium Pennsylvania food companies.
Supported the formation of a cooperative of coffee-house owners. The cooperative is developing its own brand identity for coffee blends and supplies.
Aided in the opening and running of an employee-owned cooperative market specializing in Pennsylvania grown/produced products.
Joined with other cooperative development centers in the U.S. to form Woodworks whose mission is to transform private forestlands into a productive resource benefiting landowners, rural economies and the environment through locally based forest-owner cooperatives and associations

(Back to top)

What are some KDC projects?

Some of the projects we’re working on include helping the following groups

beef farmers market their beef to local institutions.
organic farmers in Lancaster form a cooperative to lower their aggregation and distribution costs.
poultry growers with business planning for a processing operation.
a small dairy cooperative market its cheese products more effectively.
an energy cooperative in Philadelphia develop a biodiesel market.
a fraternity purchasing cooperative with its strategic planning.

A list of clients is also maintained elsewhere on this website.

(Back to top)