Benin’s agricultural production sector, which employs around 70% of the working population, is characterised by the predominantly family-type farms, low productivity of these farms and their vulnerability to climate change. The development of the cooperative movement is a key strategy to reach larger numbers of small producers; and there have been many private and public initiatives aimed at supporting cooperatives. Despite this investment, cooperatives in Benin remain weak and unable to deliver services expected by members. There is clearly a need to find approaches that can be successful in developing cooperatives. This case study examines one initiative to support cooperatives that appears highly effective and has potential to be scaled. This approach is called the ‘OPA d’excellence’, which was developed through the Centres d’Innovations Vertes pour le secteur agro-alimentaire (ProCIVA) project of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). OPA refers to “Professional Agricultural Organization”. The case study examines the application of the “OPA d’excellence” process to three of the seven OPAs who are engaged in the soya, rice and poultry value chains: the Union Nationale des Aviculteurs Professionnels du Bénin (UNAP-B), the Union Nationale des Coopératives de producteurs de Soja du Bénin (UNCPS) and the Conseil de Concertation des Riziculteurs du Bénin (CCR-B).