About MILCO

A member-owned cooperative for Basotho producers.

Made in Lesotho Retail Cooperative Society Ltd (MILCO) is a registered retail cooperative incubated at the NUL Innovation Hub, championing Lesotho-made products.

Shop Governance

The MILCO retail shops are the cooperative's commercial engine. They operate under the same democratic governance as the cooperative itself — owned by members, overseen by an elected committee and run by a professional Senior Management team accountable to that committee.

How the shops are run

Made-in-Lesotho only

Shop shelves stock Lesotho-made products exclusively, in line with Article 5 of the constitution. Products are sourced directly from member and partner producers.

Quality & compliance

Suppliers go through onboarding for packaging, labelling and basic testing. The Audit & Supervisory Committee can flag and pause any non-compliant operation.

Member-driven oversight

The Management Committee oversees shop strategy, while day-to-day operations are run by the Senior Management it appoints — answerable to members at the AGM.

Transparent supply chain

Every product is traceable to a Basotho producer. Producers retain their brand and are paid on agreed terms set by the cooperative.

Reinvested profits

Surplus is reinvested in opening new stores and training producers, with dividends approved by members in the AGM.

Lines of accountability

  1. 1

    Members (AGM)

    Approve budget, dividends, audit and elect the Management Committee.

  2. 2

    Management Committee

    Sets shop strategy, approves senior hires and oversees performance.

  3. 3

    Senior Management / CEO

    Runs daily shop operations, supplier relationships and reports to the Committee.

  4. 4

    Audit & Supervisory Committee

    Independently checks compliance and can halt non-compliant operations.

  5. 5

    Shop staff & suppliers

    Deliver the day-to-day MILCO shopping experience for Basotho consumers.