This is how the first cooperative supermarket opened in Spain works

Entering LA OSA, the first cooperative and participatory supermarket in Spain, is not like entering any supermarket.

At the door, located at 57 Avenida de Asturias (Tetuán), a member is waiting who registers those who enter and takes their temperature.

This is what he does to José Antonio Villareal, co-founder of the project, who upon entering greets his partner who, like him, is responsible for completing three hours of volunteer work a month in exchange for being part of this cooperative.

"We do not like to call it work, because each partner collaborates with the operation of the premises voluntarily", defends Villareal or Villa, as his colleagues call him.

Like him, there are more than a thousand more partners — each of whom has paid 100 euros to own a part of the business — and it is thanks to this principle that they can lower the cost of their products by between 15% and 40%.

This model is inspired by a cooperative created in 1973 in New York (Park Slope Food Coop) and has received a boost after the success of La Louve, a

participatory that has been operating successfully in Paris since 2016.

In the 800 square meters that make up this place you can find ecological and conventional products selected from an ethical horizon.

The project has a responsible purchasing policy, which consists of choosing local products, with low environmental impact and of good quality.

In the attached video we accompany Villa to make the purchase in LA OSA to learn more about this project, which seeks to change the model of the large chains for one that is closer, more aware and with less environmental impact.

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