A cooperative is a business organization that is owned and operated by a group of individuals who share common needs or goals. By pooling their resources, members of a cooperative can achieve mutual gain, which often leads to benefits such as reduced costs, increased bargaining power, and shared profits. This structure allows individuals to work together more effectively than they could alone, leveraging their collective resources to achieve economies of scale. Cooperatives can be found in various sectors, including agriculture, retail, and housing, and they emphasize democratic decision-making and equitable distribution of benefits among members.