Institutional theories of organisations have generated valuable insights when analyzing the interplay between the organisation and its environment. Especially the strategic role of organisational actors and their part in responding to institutional pressures and altering institutions have received attention among academics in recent years. However, organisations outside the mainstream, such as co-operatives, have drawn only little scholarly interest. In this article, we aim at understanding the institutional environment of Finnish producer and marketing co-operatives, emerging pressures, and managers’ role in affecting and altering institutions.