Community investment: CBH Group

CBH Group is Australia’s largest co-operative, owned and controlled by approximately 3,700 member grain growing businesses. CBH Group operations extend throughout the grain value chain, from fertilisers to storage and handling, marketing and trading.

CBH’s core objective is to “sustainably create and return value to WA grain growers, current and future”.

As a co-operative, CBH recognises the importance of investing in and contributing back to the communities where their employees and members live, socialise and access services.

CBH’s extensive community contributions in 2020-21 included:

• $248,000 towards Growers – Harvest Mass Management. In this program, grain transporters whose trucks are unintentionally overloaded contribute the grain to a charitable fund. Growers appreciate that the money raised is supporting their communities.
• $306,000 towards regional capacity building, including Growers Group Alliance, Clontarf and other leadership education programs.
• Donations valued at $564,000 invested in delivering better regional health outcomes, including Lifeline, Mental Health Fellowship WA, Youth Focus, Black Dog Institute and more.
• Emergency relief funds of $100,000 delivered to communities impacted by Cyclone Seroja.

CBH will continue to focus on capacity building in future, aiming to support existing and emerging leaders in grain growing communities. Leadership programs equip individuals with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to take on leadership positions in their local communities and grain industries. CBH has also created two new roles internally to better deliver its community investment funds in response to community needs.

Regional mental health

CBH is committed to supporting the health of its growers and their communities. Mental illness and suicide take a severe toll on communities, and CBH is committed to being part of a conversation that improves this situation.

Following a successful five-year program with the Black Dog Institute (2015-2020), CBH is now expanding its mental health programs. CBH is joining forces with four leading mental health service organisations (Lifeline, Youth Focus, Mental Illness Fellowship WA and Black Dog Institute) in a new three-year $600,000 partnership, with the explicit aim of improving the mental health of Western Australia’s regional communities.

This case study was published in the BCCM's 2022 National Mutual Economy (NME) Report.