Frequently asked questions

No. The shop has been open to everyone since 2023, and you can shop at the public price with no commitment at all. Members (the people who own the co-op) get a 12% discount, the online shop and a vote at the assembly.

We’re at Passatge d’Aragó, 9, in the Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample neighbourhood of Barcelona (08011). The nearest metro stations are Urgell (L1) and Hospital Clínic (L5).

Monday 17.00 to 20.30; Tuesday 10.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.30; Wednesday 10.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.30; Thursday 10.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.30; Friday 10.00 to 20.30; Saturday 10.00 to 14.00; Sunday closed. For members, we don’t close at lunchtime: if you have a special need, you can come in from 14.00 to 17.00, Monday to Thursday.

On some products, yes. We don’t compete with the big chains on price: we compete on quality, on origin and on knowing who grew what you eat. With the 12% member discount, the gap gets small.

More than 1,200 products: seasonal fruit and veg, bread, fresh food, larder staples, refill goods, drinks, cosmetics and cleaning products. We put Catalan producers and agroecology first.

Most of it is, but a label isn’t our only test. We look at how close the producer is, how they produce and the working conditions of the people who do it. Members set the criteria at the assembly.

Yes. Bring your own jars or bags, we weigh them empty at the till and you only pay for what’s inside. We also have containers at the shop.

The online shop is for consumer members and partner organisations; supporting members can’t use it. The courier co-ops Mensakas and Les Mercedes bring your order to your door by bike within 24-48 hours: €2.50 on orders over €120 and €5 below that. We deliver in Barcelona (except Vallvidrera), L’Hospitalet and Cornellà. If you ask for delivery at the till, give us at least 5 hours’ notice. Delivery is meant for the occasional order.

€40, paid once. It isn’t a fee: it’s a contribution to the co-op’s share capital, and we give it back if you ever leave.

Yes. The share capital is yours. When you leave, the co-op returns it to you as set out in the statutes.

At the shop, at the till, or by bank transfer to Fiare Banca Etica (IBAN ES38 1550 0001 2100 1255 8524). If you pay by transfer, send the receipt to cooperativa@foodcoopbcn.cat. You don’t have to wait for the welcome session to start shopping at member prices.

Yes. Once a month there’s a Cafè FoodCoop, our open café, where you can find out about the project and ask your questions. You can also drop into the shop whenever you like: it’s open to everyone.

Nothing beyond your contribution. Your liability as a member is limited to the capital you’ve put in: €40.

One shift of 2-2.5 hours every 4 weeks. That isn’t every week: it works out at about two and a half hours a month.

You have two alternatives with exactly the same benefits: work in a circle (about 2-2.5 hours a month, often from home) or pay a quarterly fee: €20 basic, €10 reduced (no questions asked) or a solidarity fee from €20, if you can put in more.

Simple jobs around the shop: restocking shelves, working the till, tidying up, taking in deliveries and helping members. You don’t need any experience, and on your first day there’s always someone with you.

You can choose a fixed shift or a floating one, swap with another member, and move your shift up to 13 times a year. If you can’t make it one day, tell the coordinator at least 24 hours before and you have 4 weeks to make it up; if you don’t, it counts as an absence and you have two to make up.

Yes. If you’re over 65, have reduced mobility or an illness, or are on maternity or paternity leave, shifts aren’t compulsory. Other situations are looked at case by case: write to etpucajudar@foodcoopbcn.cat.

One other adult who lives with you and the children in your care. One membership covers the whole household’s shopping at the discount.

Yes, that’s the tandem shift: two people who live together split the hours of one shift between them.

Yes, as a supporting member, for instance if you live outside Barcelona: you put in the €40, have a say and a vote at the assembly and help keep the project going, but you shop at the public price and can’t use the online shop.

You let the co-op know, and your share capital is returned to you as set out in the statutes. No penalties and no tie-in.

That the people who shop here own it. There are no investors and no private profits: we members decide what we sell, at what price and what we do with any surplus.

The members, at the assembly, working from what the buying circle prepares. Our margin is public: 22% on everything except the essentials range, which is at 17%.

They’re the working teams that keep the co-op running: Community and care, Premises, Operations, Buying, Finance, IT, Governance, Communication, Co-operation and Shop. You can join one at any time by writing to us.

We hold a general assembly regularly, and it’s always announced to members well in advance by email and in the news section of the website. One member, one vote.

Yes. Any organisation or business can become a partner organisation (what we call a ‘friend of the co-op’) with a contribution of €150, paid once or every year. With the yearly contribution, their staff get a 5% discount.