Food Coop. Instructions for use
Food Coops represent a hybrid model that combines the functioning of consumer cooperatives with volunteer work, positioning themselves within the framework of the market economy. This approach opposes traditional capitalist models, encouraging active participation in key community initiatives, such as the promotion of healthy and sustainable food. Food Coops have the potential to generate positive social and environmental impacts, contributing to a meaningful shift in the status quo.
Based on the aggregation of skills and people, Food Co-ops promote the ‘’freeing up of time‘’, allowing members to develop a shared project focused on accessible and sustainable food. The active involvement of members is crucial to the success of these co-operatives, which manage to involve numerous volunteers to realise a collective entrepreneurial vision.
These organisations use typical Third Sector tools to manage complex activities, such as logistics, marketing and purchasing, achieving sustainable economic results over time.
The manual describes the characteristics and evolution of food coops, including in Italy, highlighting their potential replicability in other contexts. The report is written by Jacopo Sforzi, Senior Researcher at Euricse, and Enrico De Sanso, economist and founder of Stadera, a food coop active in the municipality of Ravenna.
