Bios Coop

Initiator/Founder/Owner:

Social Consumer Cooperative of Thessaloniki

Contact person:

Papafilippou Aspa – President of the Administrative Council

Funding: 

Private funding of the Cooperative’s members

Background:

The Social Consumer Cooperative of Thessaloniki "Bio Coop" was founded in 2012 following the initiative of PRO.S.K.AL.O. (Cooperation Initiative for the Social Solidarity Economy). In the coming years it was surrounded by a wider initiative group with the initial aim of creating a cooperative supermarket in Thessaloniki. The capital for the creation of the cooperative supermarket comes from the "shares" of the members who are also the cooperative’s co–owners. Its operation began in 2013 and is located between the center and the eastern areas of Thessaloniki where the largest percentage of members are located.

The purpose of "Bios Coop" is the operation of a cooperative non-profit supermarket with quality products at affordable prices, coming from agricultural cooperatives and individual farmers and producers of the region.

Bios Coop engages in business transactions with other cooperatives and individual producers who are given shelves in the supermarket to place their products, supporting and strengthening their effort in this way. Today the Cooperative has 450 active members.

Place / address:

42 Konstantinou Karamanli Avenue, Thessaloniki, Greece

Contact: Lakkas Panagiotis – Store Manager

There are no other regional or local stores.

Short description of the center / object:

The store operates at the local-regional level and cooperates mainly with producers and other cooperatives located in the closest possible distance from its premises. This, of course, does not exclude cooperation with more remote producers, especially in cases where the products required are not produced by local farmers. In some cases, the store cooperates with foreign cooperatives to import products not produced in Greece.

The main customers of the grocery are the consumer public and especially the local population as well as other local businesses such as restaurants and merchants.

The transportation of products to the store premises is usually carried out directly by the producers and / or by using a transport company. In cases of large quantities, the producer undertakes the transportation of the products directly to storage areas owned by the cooperative.

Services offered by the center:

Bios Coop mainly engages in retail sales but does not prohibit wholesales.  Suppliers of the products are local producers and cooperatives as well as foreign companies. In order to enhance the sales of specific products, the cooperative carries out promotional and advertising activities within the store and through its website. At the present, the store also accepts telephone or e-mail orders and provides delivery services for a small amount of money. Short run plans include the completion of the online store giving customers the opportunity to make online orders.

Periodicity:

The store operates all working days and hours throughout the year.

Production offered by the center:

The main product categories include:

-       fruits

-       vegetables

-       dairy products

-       cheese products

-       meat products

-       legumes  

-       pasta

-       cereal

-       oils

-       flours

-       herbs

-       tea

-       meat

-       poultry

Terms of Access:

Who has access to the center:

·       To sell

-       Suppliers can be local producers and cooperatives, without excluding more remote suppliers and / or imports from foreign cooperatives or companies.

-       Prospective suppliers will have to obtain approval from two committees of the Cooperative: (a) The Quality Committee that controls the environmentally friendly cultivation methods, the absence of genetically modified seeds and the working environment and (B) The Economic Committee that examines the need to supply the specific product taking into account the best interest of the consumer

-       The supplier is not obliged to become a member of the cooperative nor does he have to pay a fee to get access to the store / shelf. The cooperative does not encourage competition for obtaining specific position in the store or shelves.

-       The cooperative supports the limited use of packaging, the use of environmentally friendly packaging or no packaging where possible.

-       The transportation of products is carried out by the supplier.   

·       To buy

-       There are no restrictions for buyers accessing the store. Buyers are mainly local consumers. Wholesales are also possible by other companies or merchants.