On April 27, 1915 a group of people met to form the Granite Trading Co-operative Association.
The association had its beginnings two years before in 1913 when a group met to form the Tappen Farmers’ Exchange. The Exchange was created to handle and sell farm produce. Henry Calhoun, J.A. Carlin, William Sanderson, J. Fleming, Gust Annala, J. Mikkelson, and C.W. Mobley erected a small building on the C.P.R. right-of-way and had C.P.R. operator Barney Kellogg paint a sign on the building. C.W. Mobley was appointed the manager, secretary-treasurer, and one-person staff.
The group affiliated with the Salmon Arm Farmers’ Exchange and Okanagan United Growers. Settlers in the area started asking the Exchange to bring in consumer goods. Flour and feed arrived by the carload and unloaded in the Calhoun warehouse located on the C.P.R. right-of-way. Settlers could order groceries or farm equipment, combine their bulk orders and receive wholesale shipping rates.
The co-operative impacted local store owner and businessman H.C. Banks. His store had been serving customers in the area since 1907. Banks contacted the C.P.R. requesting to have the co-operative restrained from doing business on the C.P.R. right-of-way. Settlers were unhappy with Banks and the members of the cooperative reacted by deciding to get into the retail trade. The first item of business was to incorporate under the Co-operative Association Act. In a spirit of fairness to Mr. Banks, the group offered to buy him out, offering him $900 for his building and well, to buy his stock at costs plus shipping, and to pay him $75 for his share in the co-operative telephone system that operated out of the store.
The sale was structured $400 cash down for the building and $300 for the stock. The balance of payments bore 8% interest.
The name Granite Trading Association was adopted, taken the name of Granite Mountain. The founding directors were C.W. Mobley, Henry Calhoun, Wm Sanderson, Gust Annala, and J.A. Carling. Mr. Calhoun was elected president and Mr. Mobley the secretary.
The Association is one of the oldest operating consumer co-operatives in the province and is famous for its outsized ice cream cones.