Cooperative grocery stores: sustainability and participation for everyone!

Cooperative grocery stores: sustainability and participation for everyone!

Cooperative grocery stores in Germany have established themselves as important players in the organic food sector. These stores not only offer high-quality organic products at fair prices, but also enable their members to actively participate and participate. A central aspect of these cooperative initiatives is the close collaboration with small, local producers, which promotes understanding of regional products. This is done as part of the VALUE project Justus Liebig University Giessen which analyzes the role of these stores in bio-regional value chains.

The project aims to spread cooperative stores and promote entrepreneurship in this area. At the same time, stores are facing challenges. Price pressure and complicated logistics structures make market access more difficult for small organic producers. The cooperative shops therefore rely on fair price structures for their suppliers.

Commitment and participation of members

A characteristic feature of the cooperative stores is the active commitment of the members, who commit to working in the store for at least three hours per month. This helps reduce personnel costs and strengthens the community. The JLU also cooperates with various initiatives such as FoodHub Munich, SuperCoop Berlin, Köllektiv Cologne and SuperCoop Bremen, all of which are part of this movement.

To address the challenges and opportunities of cooperative stores, a workshop will take place on March 25, 2025 in collaboration with the Central Association of German Consumer Cooperatives (ZdK) and SuperCoop Berlin. Topics such as the motivation of members, cooperation with producers, the cooperative legal form and strategies for disseminating the concept are discussed here. The workshop is part of the Darmstadt Days of Transformation, at which the JLU is also present.

Transformation of the agricultural and food industry

Cooperative grocery stores represent an innovative approach to the social-ecological transformation of the agricultural and food industry. They offer alternatives to the inadequate environmental and social standards and unfair trade practices that many large companies are subject to. These stores help reduce the market power of such companies and strengthen the participation of all those involved along the value chain.

The experiences from the WERTSCHÄTZEN research project provide significant insight into the functioning and challenges of these stores. In the first block of the workshop, various perspectives and challenges of cooperative grocery stores will be discussed, including the development and role of cooperatives in the food industry as well as the special features of the concept of cooperative grocery stores.

Future outlook and support for founders

The WERTSCHÄTZEN project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, will run until summer 2026. In addition, a workshop for founders of cooperative grocery stores is planned for spring 2026 at JLU. This initiative aims to further strengthen entrepreneurship in this sector and increase sustainable purchasing alternatives. At the same time, organic retailers should keep an eye on the development of food coops and similar concepts in order to take advantage of possible competitive advantages.

The cooperative grocery stores are an important part of a growing trend that goes beyond the boundaries of cities and regions and has the potential to fundamentally change the food landscape in Germany. They not only strengthen the local economy, but also create awareness of the responsibility that both producers and consumers bear in food production.