This document is realized in the frame of the European Cooperation - PDF document

This document is realized in the frame of the European Cooperation in Social Economy, project which is led by the CRES Limousin in partnership with the Regions of Ravenne in Italia and Almeria in Spain. This project aims to identify good practices of the social economy actors regarding: - Sustainable consumption - Participative housing - Democratic governance - Social economy actors networks Coop Atlantique is a consumers’ cooperative, member of the CRES Limousin. Coop Atlantique is currently conducting an analysis in its « Cooperative life » commission, directly linked with the object of the European Cooperation, and is involved in a process of sustainable consumption and animation of local cooperative life. The European cooperation project aims also to highlight these actions and to offer time for debates and exchanges with partners. This document aims to present a brief survey of the main supply chains of local products in the Coop Atlantique, and the different aspects of its cooperative and democratic life. This presentation is realized for the members of the European cooperation project, as well as cooperative members and potential cooperative members of the Coop Atlantique. It aims  To identify good practices in the Coop Atlantique in order to highlight them in the Guide realized for the European Cooperation project.  To inform the members of the project, European partners, cooperative members, and to draw up a survey to facilitate exchange on the European cooperation topics of interest.  Identify the leads to explore, for example the role played by the members of the cooperative, and the inter-cooperation (partnership between cooperatives of different sectors of activities)

Context .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Table of contents ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1. The journey of a local product in the Coop Atlantique ............................................................................. 4 STEP 1: Discovering the product ........................................................................................................................ 4 STEP 2: Quantities and supply regularity ............................................................................................................ 5 STEP 3: Referencing a product .......................................................................................................................... 5 STEP 4: Logistics ................................................................................................................................................ 6 STEP 5: Visibility of local products ...................................................................................................................... 7 Examples of local products ................................................................................................................................. 7 2. Consumption, cooperative life and democracy .............................................................................................. 8 How to stay informed about one’s cooperative ................................................................................................... 8 AACC and Coop Evasion .................................................................................................................................... 9 Circles of Cooperative members ......................................................................................................................... 9 The cooperative member’s account .................................................................................................................. 10 3. Several options to explore … ......................................................................................................................... 10 Producers’ cooperatives .................................................................................................................................... 10 Consumers - members of the cooperative ........................................................................................................ 10 A real option: « farming baskets » in the Coop Atlantique’s stores ................................................................... 10 Appendix: list of local products in the U express store in Aixe-sur-Vienne ............................................................ 11

In the local U-Coop Atlantique 1 store, it is possible to find local products such as goat cheese, local fruits and vegetables, groceries as well as limousin cola and hygiene products. Coop Atlantique offers 23% to 30% of regional products in its products list. But several steps are necessary to add these products in the Coop Atlantique stores. The local producer has several possibilities to display his products. He may present it at the Regional Suppliers Exhibition of Coop Atlantique, or show it directly to the store manager. Inscription in a Regional Suppliers catalogue in which Exhibition of Coop store managers may Atlantique select the desired products Twice a year Local Producer Contact with the store manager, for a direct delivery at the store Local Store manager Ex. local beekeeper Producer contacts the « Super U Ambazac » Notice In both cases, the products have to be referenced by the Coop Atlantique. In order to be displayed in the Catalogue of regional suppliers, local producers must be able to produce enough to supply several stores. The re’s also an entrance fee for the inscription in the catalogue and the exhibition. 1 Coop Atlantique is working with “ System U ”, retailers’ cooperative, for the main supplies

The qualities of the local product or its proximity are not the only requested conditions for local products to be displayed in Coop Atlantique stores. A great majority of consumers keep buying low-priced products and need to find every type of product at every moment of the year. Hence, the local production has advantages and drawbacks for the retailer. Quality and freshness of the product Respect of the environment, respect of seasonality pros Ex. Irregularity of quantities produced and seasonality: consumers ask for tomatoes in winter Logistic difficulties for the producer, packaging Market cons norms, irregular-sized products gardening Few market gardeners in the territories, small Notice available quantities It is complicated for a store manager to reconcile the necessary order to the warehouse in order to keep the shelves supplied with fruits and vegetables, and his will to introduce local producers. Most of the time, producers are requested to refill the shelves, as a complement, when the store is out of stock. Before selling the product in store, it needs to be referenced. This enables the identification of the product; ensure its traceability, quality and respect of hygiene and sanitary norms. . Filling in referencing form and testing products Upgrading to standards Local producer Quality and hygiene control, audits several times a year Notice Tests on products stay at the charge of producers and are expensive for small producers, even if they guarantee their quality. It might be felt as an impediment for local producers. Prices are negotiated with the purchasing division of the Coop Atlantique, at the head office in Saintes. As for every retailers chain, difficulties exist in the negotiation of a « fair price » between the producer and distributor. Given that this price stems from the number of intermediaries, negotiating directly with local producers helps attaining this fair price.

Logistics plays also an important role in the environmental process, which must be taken into account when taking about sustainable consumption. It might be a real impediment to the insertion of local product in stores, as it represents a real cost for producers. Other At Coop Atlantique, we can identify two ways to deliver local products: stores Delivery Directly Warehouse U – Coop Atlantique The quantities produced The producer might store are big enough to be deliver directly to stored in a warehouse, the store due to his warehouse that delivers a proximity / or series of stores. The because the store storage implies a specific is on his distribution packaging and respecting route a series of norms. Ex. Direct delivery from The Laiterie des Fayes (milk, cream, yoghurt) Ex. Bessines’ slaughterhouse deliver s the Super U Ambazac Ex. The market gardener Thévenin delivers the Super U Limoges - rue de Nexon Notice Coop Atlantique gets its supplies today from System U for its main stock of fruits and vegetables (knowing that System U is also in a process of introducing local producers). Ex. The Limdor apple (grown in Limousin) is now delivered directly to System U, which reships to Coop Atlantique System U prepares Delivery to Coop Coop Coop Atlantique’s Atlantique order Atlantique Stores U Warehouse Coop Atlantique Nantes - Carquefou Warehouse (Saintes) In the territories