Fogo Island Co-operative Society

Anchored in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, off Newfoundland's rugged North East Coast, the Fogo Island Co-operative Society Limited remains committed to providing a quality living to its fisher and processor membership. In 1967, the residents of Fogo Island had to make a life-altering decision. Leave our beloved island home and resettle on the mainland of Newfoundland and Labrador, or stay and find a way to develop a long-term, sustainable community. We stayed and turned to what we knew best for hundreds of years - the· sea and its renewable natural resources. Following a process of community self-discovery now known worldwide as the Fogo Process, a series of short films were produced by the NFB under the direction of Colin Low that convinced the Government that these settlers would not relocate but instead rebuild where they were. Our fishermen formed the Fogo Island Co-operative Society Limited, a community based enterprise on which we built the economy of our island. We built more boats. We built bigger boats. We took over processing facilities abandoned by private enterprise. We built more plants. We sought new markets. The Fogo Island Co-op has not only survived, it has thrived. We have reached a milestone and this year we are celebrating 50 years in business. When giants in this industry failed, the Fogo Island Co-op remained steadfast, competitive and strong.