Radish: Strategic Shift in a Co-Operative Model

Name: Radish: Strategic Shift in a Co-Operative Model (English version)
SKU: W45816

Ian N, Leena Yahia, Anthony Piscitelli, Dionne Pohler, Marc-André Pigeon

Product #:W45816

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Organizational Behaviour/Leadership, Strategy

Setting:Canada, 2024

Details:Case (PDF) • 7 pages • 2026-02-25

Subjects:

Decision making Strategy

Geography:

Canada North America

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$9.71

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In early 2024, Coopérative Radish (Radish), a multi-stakeholder food delivery co-operative based in Montreal, Canada, faced a critical moment of strategic uncertainty. Launched as an ethical alternative to mainstream food delivery platforms such as Uber Technologies Inc. (Uber Eats) and DoorDash Inc., Radish had built a reputation for fair labour practices, transparent governance, and community-driven service. The co-operative had thrived during the pandemic, when demand for food delivery surged, but by 2023, this core market had contracted, exposing vulnerabilities in the business model. Executive Director Mansib Rahman and the board of directors recognized Radish’s financial unsustainability and knew that finding a path forward required collective deliberation by all members and stakeholders. Rahman and the board explored four strategic options: double down on food delivery, expand into logistics, develop sustainability software, or partner with other co-operatives. Each option raised different questions around financial feasibility, operational readiness, stakeholder alignment, and adherence to co-operative values. Radish’s survival depended on not only what decision it made, but how it made it—balancing the urgency to adapt with the commitment to remain a co-operative.

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in business courses discussing strategy at the undergraduate or graduate level. It is highly recommended that students complete introductory courses on governance (including modules on co-operatives), economics, and strategic decision-making as prerequisites. This case study is suitable for in-person, online synchronous, or online asynchronous courses and can be covered in a 90-minute class.

The case focuses on the strategic decision-making process. It invites students to step into a context where financial urgency, values-based governance, and stakeholder complexity intersect. Students are asked to evaluate competing strategic options, consider how co-operative governance influences the decision-making process, and reflect on how co-operatives can adapt and pivot in a way that preserves their core purpose. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:

Assess the dynamics of strategic pivoting in mission-driven organizations, particularly co-operatives facing market contraction or disruption.
Compare alternative business models and evaluate their operational, financial, and organizational implications through a multi-stakeholder lens.
Examine the role of co-operative governance in shaping strategic decisions and how it differs from executive-led decision-making in conventional firms.
Analyze the tensions between financial sustainability and co-operative values, such as fair labour, democratic control, and community impact.
Apply conceptual frameworks such as adaptive strategy, emergent planning, and stakeholder engagement to a real-world scenario requiring complex trade-offs.