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About this project
We're moving to new premises to be closer to you and keep transforming food in Barcelona
Show list of needs
Infrastructure
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Minimum | Optimum |
|---|---|---|
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Legal deposit
Amount that the law requires to be deposited (usually with the Catalan Land Institute, INCASÒL, or an equivalent body) as a guarantee for the lease. It is a legal requirement and not negotiable, and it is refunded when the lease ends, but it must be paid up front in order to sign.
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$ 103,708 | |
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Additional security deposit
Extra amount that the landlord requires, over and above the statutory deposit, as their own guarantee for the lease. This is common in commercial lease negotiations and must be budgeted as an upfront cost in order to close the deal.
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$ 103,708 | |
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One month’s rent on the current premises
To make the move as efficient as possible and avoid being out of operation for too long, we want to keep both premises open for a month. For this reason, we need to pay an "extra" month's rent on the premises where we are currently based.
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$ 33,850 | |
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First 6 months’ rent on the new premises
The first months in the new premises are crucial for making ourselves known in the new neighbourhood and building up a good pace of sales. Sales revenue is likely to be modest during this period. Some temporary help to cover the rent during this time would be wonderful.
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$ 155,562 |
Task
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Minimum | Optimum |
|---|---|---|
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Agency fees
Commission charged by the estate agent for brokering the lease of the premises, usually a percentage or a fixed amount agreed when the deal is closed.
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$ 90,350 | |
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Cleaning of the new premises
Much of the cleaning of the premises will be done by members on a voluntary basis, but we will need professional help for some areas so that it is ready to welcome members and customers from day one.
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$ 41,483 | |
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Refurbishment works for the new premises
General refurbishment to adapt the space to the shop's needs (layout, electrical and plumbing installations, flooring, painting, etc.), in addition to the heating and cooling system, to get the premises ready to open.
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$ 228,158 | |
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Sales revenue we will lose while we are moving
We have to move part of the heating and cooling system from the current premises to the new ones. This means that, for as long as the move and the installation work at the new premises last, we will inevitably be unable to sell our products.
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$ 72,596 |
Material
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Minimum | Optimum |
|---|---|---|
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Air conditioning and heating works for the new premises
Installation or upgrade of the premises' heating and cooling system, essential both for members' comfort and for the proper storage of certain products.
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$ 165,933 | |
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Equipment relocation costs
Cost of transporting the existing equipment (fridges, freezers, display units, till, etc.) from the current premises to the new space.
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$ 20,742 | |
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Purchase of supplies for the new premises
Purchase of the supplies needed for the shop's day-to-day running that are not covered by the building works or the fixed furnishings: sales utensils, food-handling materials, bags, labelling and other operational items needed to get up and running.
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$ 62,225 | |
| Total | $ 463,699 | $ 1,078,314 |
General information
Foodcoop BCN is a cooperative, participatory, non-profit supermarket in Barcelona, open to everyone since February 2022. We champion a way of eating based on the nutritional value of products, the reduction of waste and food waste, and respect for the land and those who work it.
In 2018, a group of people, inspired by the Park Slope Food Coop, the supermarket that opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1973, launched a similar initiative in Barcelona. Our aim was to go beyond consumer groups and cooperatives and offer more products at better prices. At Foodcoop you can do all your household shopping, whether or not you are a member. Foodcoop is part of a Spanish and European network of supermarkets with a similar philosophy.
We have put together a very high-quality range of natural products that are delicious not only because of their taste, colour or smell, bringing back sensations from the past, but also because they are produced with care for the people and the environments where they originate, and with sustainability in mind. Fruit, vegetables, cereals, pulses, seeds, vegan products, dairy, meat and cured meats, tinned goods, hygiene and cleaning products and much more, often sold loose, organic or not, and local as far as possible.
Foodcoop has three paid staff, but a good part of the work is also done by those of us who are members and want to contribute because we connect with this philosophy. In return, we can access the member rate, a substantial discount on prices. Members do a 3-hour shift at the shop each month: we pick orders, stock the shelves, work the till, clean, tidy the space... We can also take part in the circles and working groups that run the cooperative: purchasing, communications, community, finances, governance, inter-cooperation... Or we can contribute to the supermarket’s running costs with a quarterly fee of €20.
Foodcoop is also a meeting place and a point of connection with the neighbourhood and with other organisations that share our values. We believe in the bonds between people and in the strength of the collective to make us more resilient in the face of difficulties. That is why, and because we enjoy it, we organise neighbourhood activities, support like-minded initiatives and join collective projects that help strengthen the society we live in.
Foodcoop is a little piece of home for each of us members, and we love welcoming people here and celebrating life.
Foodcoop has changed the way we go to the supermarket!
Main features and goals of the crowdfunding campaign
After more than four years in operation, Foodcoop is a real alternative to the conventional food consumption model. We are working hard to make the supermarket more attractive and accessible, and to grow our membership base and sales. We believe in collective strength and intelligence, and most of these improvements are carried out by members on a voluntary basis, giving their time and energy.
What have we done since we opened in 2022?
- Opened the supermarket to everyone, including non-members.
- Adjusted margins to bring prices down, especially for the basic food basket.
- Set up regular orders of quality meat.
- Improved the management of fresh products and introduced discounted prices to reduce food waste.
- Improved the range of products in both quality and variety.
- Improved how products are laid out in the shop.
- Stepped up our communication with the media, on social media and with the neighbourhood.
- Opened the online shop.
- Introduced home delivery.
- Built networks with other cooperatives and organisations that share our values.
- Joined forces with other cooperatives to place joint orders.
- Told the public who our suppliers are and what project lies behind them.
What do we want to do now?
We want to move the supermarket to a new location to make it more visible and closer to people.
Why?
Our supermarket is currently in a private passageway in the Eixample, off a street with little commercial activity. Despite the improvements we have made, the communication campaigns in the neighbourhood and the alliances with like-minded organisations..., we have not been able to overcome this disadvantage. That is why, for months, we have been looking for another premises in the neighbourhood, at street level and in a visible spot, to move the supermarket to... and we have found it!
This crowdfunding campaign will allow us to raise the funds we need to make this move a reality.
So that Foodcoop BCN becomes established, so that it reaches more people, and so that together we transform the dominant agri-food model.
Why this is important
Foodcoop BCN exists because we believe that the food system the market offers us is not sustainable over time and does not help build a more balanced society. That is why we have created an alternative.
We believe food should not be a business. Agribusiness and conventional supermarkets seek to control production and distribution in order to increase profits, even if that impoverishes the land, harms our health or creates inequality and unsustainable working conditions. We want to do things differently.
We are driven by the collective interest, healthy eating, contributing to a fairer and more sustainable world, and reducing the environmental impact of our actions.
The project is aimed at the general public, because everyone should have access to quality food that benefits their health and the health of the land.
Foodcoop began to take shape in 2018 and opened in 2022. We are many people with diverse experiences and skills who have decided to put our energy and knowledge at the service of our values.
We organise ourselves horizontally following the sociocratic model, in which each circle has its own area of decision-making and shared decisions are taken by agreement in the coordination circle. The general assembly decides everything we consider to need broad consensus from our membership, as well as whatever the statutes require.
Today, Foodcoop has more than 1,000 members. Many are consumer members (because they take an active part in the project), and others are supporting members who back the project without taking part in it.
The day-to-day running of the shop is in the hands of Cristina, Gabriela and Joojoo. They are a team with experience in social economy projects linked to sustainable food, and are deeply committed to Foodcoop’s principles and values.
More than thirty members volunteer their personal and professional experience to the work of the circles and working groups: purchasing, finance, community and care, communications, governance, inter-cooperation and IT.
Social commitment
Citizen participation
Beyond its mission as a responsible alternative for food consumption, Foodcoop BCN shows that citizen participation, community and collective energy are options within our reach for creating structures that respond to society’s needs. Life and shared values, not profit, are the driving force, and collective commitment is the most powerful toolbox.
Sustainable Development Goals
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Good Health and Well-Being
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.
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Sustainable Cities and Communities
There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.
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Responsible Production and Consumption
Responsible Production and Consumption
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Climate Action
Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.
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Life On Land
Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
