The Allium in Calgary is a breath of fresh air. Based on the concepts of health and wholeness, this pretty little restaurant serves up some of the most delicious vegetarian dishes in the city. It’s also a worker cooperative and is setting the trend for a solidarity economy by prioritizing social benefits rather than individual profits.
What Is a Worker Cooperative?
A worker cooperative is a model where the business is owned and democratically controlled by its members.
“Sometimes The Allium is framed as a disruption in the industry, which I think is probably accurate,” says Jared Blustein, one of the original co-founders. “We’re really trying to demonstrate an alternative way of work and economy, especially in the restaurant industry, which is so traditionally hierarchical and wasteful. We’re trying to create something that is horizontal in its governance structure, that is co-empowering and co-humanizing.”
The Allium in Calgary Is Leading the Way as a Worker Cooperative
The Allium team in Calgary is made up of probationary owners and owners, explains Sierra Love, administration lead. Over their initial six months with the company, individuals can see how they fit in and if they like the concept. At the end of that probationary period, they can then decide if they would like to join as an owner, and, if so, a buy-in strategy is figured out with the team.
“We find a plan that works for them,” Love says.
Owners and probationary owners are paid hourly, and at the end of a fiscal year, the owners share in the restaurant’s total profits. Individual amounts are proportionate to hours worked. Additionally, everyone also takes part in a daily tip pool, where all the tips for the day are gathered and then dispersed — also based on the amount of hours worked.
Workers Learn and Grow Together at the Allium in Calgary
The Allium restaurant in Calgary is organized into “hubs” such as the kitchen hub, front-of-house hub, membership hub and administration hub, all of which are overseen by the membership and guided by a board.
“We want to create an amazing experience for our customers, and also an amazing space for our owners and workers where we can learn and grow together,” Blustein says.
The Allium Is Empowering the Vegetable in Calgary
In addition to empowering the worker, The Allium in Calgary is also empowering the vegetable. They want vegetables to be able to speak for themselves, Blustein says, and so their collaboratively created menu doesn’t include taste-blockers such as tofu, avocado and a lot of nuts. As many ingredients as possible are sourced close to home.
“We’re really trying to offer a seasonal menu as well as avoid procuring items from large corporate distributors,” Blustein says. “The Allium is all about localizing the economy and supporting our workers. Luckily in Calgary now, and much of the world, there are a number of awesome hydroponic and aquaponic farms popping up, so we can access all kinds of vegetables year-round.”
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The Allium’s meals are fibre-full, nutritionally dense and sprinkled with a bit of “magic” from Kitchen Lead Alex Hamilton. Blustein describes their food as “delicious, elevated cuisine that is a celebration of veg.”
The Allium Is Supporting Other Worker Co-ops
In a traditional business it’s easy to just walk away when things get tough, Blustein says, but The Allium’s core group have stuck together through the difficult times and “committed to each other harder and harder. That has been what makes this all so worthwhile.”
The Allium is also supporting the proliferation of other worker co-ops in Calgary, joining forces with other groups and providing allyship and knowledge.
“We’re still in the experiment phase, learning and growing all the time,” Sierra Love says. “Community isn’t easy sometimes. We’re in such an individualistic world right now that this is a shift in thinking.”
How They Reduce Food Waste
Committed to reducing food waste, The Allium’s creators work to reuse items and make them into something new as much as they can. They have made citrus stock out of peels and dried tea leaves to grind up for toppings, with Blustein joking that the kitchen’s dehydrator is the hardest working member of the team.
During the pandemic, The Allium also began selling grab-and-go items at retailers in Calgary, allowing them to remain sustainable throughout the uncertain times.
Creating an Alternative Economy
Blustein and Love are also involved with social justice and environmental non-profit Arusha, which supports local resilience, building community and creating an alternative economy.
“For us, The Allium is perfectly in line with the Arusha work,” Blustein says. “It’s about localizing our economy, empowering workers and solidarity. Instead of this empty narrative that we have about workers working hard and getting more for the harder they work, which doesn’t actually happen in a lot of places — at The Allium, it happens.”
Learn more about The Allium in Calgary at theallium.ca. More businesses doing good: Emperor’s Old Clothes is a sustainable and ethical clothing brand committed to paying living wages, undertaking anti-racism work and creating a more equitable and inclusive fashion industry.
Lead image credit: The Allium in Calgary is a worker cooperative in Calgary that’s demonstrating an alternative way of work and economy. Photo courtesy of The Allium.
