The Malta Cooperatives Movement and the Central Cooperative Fund recently teamed up to organise the annual dinner for cooperatives at the Hotel Excelsior, Floriana.

For the first time this year, Koperattivi Malta decided to award a prize to the best cooperative and cooperator of the year.

The Cooperator of the Year award was won by Lucienne Camilleri, who has been employed with the Pharmaceuticals Cooperative for the past 15 years.

Ms Camilleri won the award for integrity, excellence, dedication and her ability to see that workers lived and worked in harmony while the cooperative continued to grow and move forward.

The Cooperative of the Year award was won by the Milk Producers Cooperative (KPH). KPH was founded in June 1958 and has 121 members, who are mainly farmers. KPH is the major shareholder of Malta Dairy Products Ltd.

Trophies were also presented the Cooperator and Cooperative of the Year Award runners-up – Gaetano Buttigieg, John Gauci and Anthony Sammut; and Pharmaceutical Services Coop, Rural Manikata Coop, Gozo Lace and Crafts Coop and Koptaco Coaches Coop respectively.

A special trophy was awarded to veteran Romeo Formosa, who has been working with the Cooperative Movement since 1960.

Francis Galea, author of The History Research Cooperatives Malta, also presented a copy of his book to all the winners and finalists.