We are founding MILA – a participatory supermarket based on the model of functioning participatory supermarkets – above all the Park Slope Food Coop supermarket in New York, which has been in existence for over 40 years.
In addition to “participative”, the term “co-operative” is often used to describe this type of supermarket. This describes two key features of the model: Organisation as a cooperative and mandatory cooperation of all members.
The Park Slope model is a co-operative of consumers based on the “direct economy model”. The savings that result from the co-operation of the members are passed on directly to the members through lower prices – as close as possible to the purchase prices. This model goes back to the co-operative movement that emerged in the middle of the 19th century.
The co-operative contribution at MILA’s role models is 10 or 100 euros (10 or 100 US dollars at the Park Slope Food Co-op), depending on the social situation. All co-operative members have equal voting rights, regardless of their level of participation. All members work three hours every four weeks (two hours and 45 minutes at Park Slope Food Coop). In this way, around 80 per cent of the work is carried out.
Participatory supermarkets based on the Park Slope Food Coop model are non-profit co-operative businesses. They offer the full range of products of a supermarket, whereby the members determine the product range according to their preferences and values. Park Slope Food Coop, La Louve and Superquinquin are located in neighbourhoods where many people with a migrant background live. The three supermarkets play an important role in providing good, affordable food in their neighbourhoods – including for people living in poverty.