Problem addressed

Two needs have been identified:

• Firstly, there is a need to structure the organic food sector, small-scale farming and short supply chains in the Rhône-Alpes region, particularly with regard to supply.
• Secondly, there is a need to develop economically viable, socially just and environmentally friendly activities.

Innovative solution

The GRAP cooperative has set itself the mission of bringing together various organisations within the sector around a shared project based on two pillars: the pooling of a number of tasks inherent to their activities as food business owners (HR, legal, accounting and tax, financial, administrative and IT management) and support for the establishment and development of businesses and their projects.

This pooling of resources therefore applies to every GRAP member, including organic grocery shops, chocolate shops, bakeries, farmers’ markets, restaurants, caterers, retailers of Italian products, wine merchants, small-scale processing workshops, delivery services and organic meal preparation facilities supplying nurseries – totalling around sixty businesses today.

The support provided, meanwhile, covers professional expertise, overall strategy, project set-up and any other needs that may aid a business’s development. It applies to each entity individually and can take place from the actual establishment stage (i.e. once the project is sufficiently concrete to ensure a high degree of certainty regarding its integration into the cooperative) right through to the development of the business. GRAP also organises training courses, open to all cooperative members, which help to improve everyone’s professional practices.

Key results and benefits

The direct beneficiaries of the project are the entrepreneurs themselves, who benefit from a secure framework in which to run their businesses. The strength of this consortium’s model lies in the fact that the entrepreneurs are both beneficiaries and active participants in it.

The social impact of the cooperative is therefore seen, on the one hand, in the development and sustainability of its activities and, on the other, in the employment conditions of the entrepreneur-employees. Pooling resources aims to achieve self-sufficient funding, with public subsidies covering the shortfall (in the region of 10 per cent to 15 per cent).
Environmental impact is also a priority for GRAP, which has developed tools to assess its performance in this area and raise consumer awareness. One of its initiatives, for example, involves a product-by-product rating system based on four criteria (local origin, social impact, production methods and packaging). 

Potential for mainstreaming

GRAP is building a network of cooperatives run by committed entrepreneurs working to promote responsible food production and vibrant local communities. GRAP is rolling out its model across France and setting up an umbrella organisation for food cooperatives.

GRAP is a laureate of the 2016–2017 cohort of the P'INS scale-up support programme, jointly run by Fondation Macif and Avise.