Who we are

We are a colourful, growing group of people of different ages from different professional fields with a common goal: the MILA participatory supermarket in Vienna and therefore good food for everyone!

Our journey began with the founding of the MILA association. The MILA association is a non-profit organisation and aims to protect the environment and the climate and to strengthen social solidarity by promoting an ecologically sustainable and socially just way of life. The association was founded in Vienna in January 2020 and the founding members democratically decided together on the name MILA. The MILA Mitmach-Minimarkt branch runs the minimarket.

The next big step was taken on 1 February 2023 with the founding of the MILA Mitmach-Supermarkt cooperative. The cooperative is the most democratic legal form in Austria for doing business together and is therefore ideal for implementing the participatory supermarket.

Cooperative founded in the Brunnenpassage on 1 February 2023

Cooperative board

The cooperative’s board members contribute their time and experience on a voluntary basis to the process of opening the participatory supermarket:

• Helmut Adam (Chairman) is a retired business economist and has worked for FAIRTRADE, Südwind, Globale Verantwortung, Österreichische Tafeln, among others.
• Elisabeth Jost is a doctoral student at BOKU and is active in FIAN Austria and the movement for food sovereignty.
• Joachim Pranzl is concerned with participation, democracy, social issues and project management and was involved in the AG Genossenschaft.
• Ralph Grossmann is professor emeritus for organisational development at the University of Klagenfurt, advises various organisations and has conducted research into innovative cooperatives, among other things.
• Margherita Hameter studied sustainable food management – from agriculture to alternative food systems. She has already worked in food retail.

Operational team

The Executive Board is supported by an operational team for day-to-day business. This team is made up of many of the people who have been driving the founding of MILA over the past two years. MILA’s operational team includes

• Julianna Fehlinger, Managing Director (currently on maternity leave), coordinates the areas of finance, cooperative, location.
• David Jelinek, Managing Director, coordinates product range development, purchasing, part of the digital infrastructure and our minimarket. (part-time position)
• Beatrice Stude, Management, coordinates planning, authorities, remodelling and the cooperative (part-time position).
• Alexander Arndt coordinates the members’ office (part-time position).
• Caroline Holper is responsible for purchasing and the day-to-day running of the minimarket (part-time position).
• Joël Foramitti works on the cooperative’s digital infrastructure and is primarily responsible for the development of our member platform (part-time position).
• Brigitte Reisenberger coordinates public relations work (part-time position).

Board of the association

The MILA association is primarily dedicated to educational, networking and public relations work. The board is made up of volunteers:

• Brigitte Reisenberger, Chairwoman
• Johannes Springeth, Deputy Chairwoman
• Maria Günüc, Treasurer
• Elisabeth Burgstaller, Deputy Treasurer
• Anna Hagenauer

And many, many active members contribute motivation and a wide range of experience to the working groups. There are currently working groups on location, finance, public relations, information talks, minimarket, product range, IT/digital, events and the cooperative.

Funding organisations:

Funded by the Vienna Business Agency. A fund of the City of Vienna.