A supermarket owned by the people who shop there

1. Come in and shop

   The shop is open to everyone. You don’t need a card or a fee, and you don’t have to join anything. Come in, have a look and buy whatever you like at the public price.

2. If you like it, become a member

   You put €40 into the co-op’s share capital (it stays yours and we give it back if you leave), and from then on you get a 12% discount on your shopping for as long as you’re a member.

3. Choose how you take part

   A shift of 2-2.5 hours every 4 weeks, a working circle from home, or a quarterly fee from €10. All three count the same.

• Members’ work keeps prices down

  We do part of the work ourselves. That cuts costs, and it’s what lets us sell agroecological, local food at a price that isn’t out of reach.

• The margins are public

  No loss leaders and no special offers to lure you in. The margin is 22% on everything except the essentials range, where it’s cut to 17%. And we can explain why.

• We choose products on principle, not on margin

  What comes first is how close the producer is, how they grow or make it and what their working conditions are like. Members set the criteria at the assembly, not a buying department.

• Not for profit

  No profit goes into private pockets. Whatever is left over goes back into the project: better conditions, more products, a livelier neighbourhood.

	A conventional supermarket	FoodCoop BCN
Who owns it	A company or a fund	The people who shop there
Who decides what’s sold	A buying department	The members’ assembly
Where the profits go	To the shareholders	Into the project: there are no private profits
Who works there	Paid staff only	Paid staff plus members’ shifts
The margins	Hidden	Public

1. Organic products We back sustainable farming and agroecology, as a step towards food sovereignty.
2. Local We favour food from close to home and local agroecological projects.
3. A fair price, affordable for shoppers We pay producers a fair price; if that makes a product unaffordable, we look for a cheaper alternative.
4. Good working conditions We look after the health, safety and pay of workers along the whole chain.
5. In season Lower prices, better health and less environmental impact. We count the whole period a product is available.
6. Less packaging, buying loose We look for ways to cut waste: refills, loose goods and reusable containers.
7. Transparency We check where products come from, how producers treat their workers and how they stand financially, and we tell the members.
8. Intercultural range The range reflects the cultural diversity of the city, to build an inclusive community.
9. Rooted in the area We value each project’s ties to its area and its co-operation with other projects in the region.

Today the paid team and the buying circle choose the range using these criteria. If you’re a member, you can join the circle or simply suggest products you’d like to see in the shop.

See the products