The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) is a co-operative organisation in Ireland. With its roots in the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, ICOS promotes commercial co-operative businesses and enterprise, across multiple sections of the Irish economy.
History The Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS) was founded by Sir Horace Plunkett in 1894 to provide an overarching organisational structure for the numerous small agricultural cooperatives in Ireland at the time.Harold Barbour, The Work of the IOAS, 'Why agricultural organisation was necessary in Ireland' (Cornell University Library, 1910), 2-3. By the mid-twentieth century, co-operativism had greatly expanded in Ireland, and had come to embrace many businesses and groups outside agriculture. The IAOS was re-organised and renamed as the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society to reflect these changes in the Irish economy.
The current organisation Today, ICOS member co-ops and their associated companies have more than 150,000 individual members, 12,000 employees in Ireland, a further 24,000 abroad, and a combined annual turnover of €12 billion.Irish Co-operative Organisation Society website, http://www.icos.ie/icos-at-a-glance/governance/ (Accessed 28 September 2014) Some of the largest businesses in Ireland, such as Aryzta, Tirlán and Kerry Group, are members of ICOS.Irish Co-operative Organisation Society website, http://www.icos.ie/history/a-proud-tradition/ (Accessed 28 September 2014) ICOS has evolved to serve the co-operative sector in seven core categories: Multipurpose dairy co-ops Livestock sector co-ops Store, trade and wholesale co-ops Service-related co-ops Community-oriented, culture and leisure co-ops Food, fishing and beverage co-ops Advisory and education-related co-ops
The organisation has offices in Dublin, Cork and Brussels.
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