This paper presents the interview results from nine managers operating in the co‐operative food sector in Ontario, Canada. The interview results are framed within the context of Consumer Culture Theory to show how co‐operatives can be considered hyper‐communities that are built around an opposition to the current economic system's management of food as a common pool resource. The co‐operative managers interviewed present a view that co‐operatives act as drivers of sustainable innovation by allowing individuals to act as a group with a common interest in sustainable practices. The co‐operative model provides these hyper‐communities with guidance to interact with the economic system through the co‐operative principles. The co‐operative principles assist co‐operative managers in establishing member control over the common pool resource. This paper supports the growing literature on the co‐operative economy and self‐governance of common pool resources for a sustainable future.