Terranostra, a supermarket against the system

Palm"It's essential to understand that if we want to improve society, we must get involved in building economic alternatives." These are the words of Jordi López, president of Mercado Social Illes Balears. Getting involved means not only reflecting on our consumption habits but also participating in collective enterprises that are committed to a different way of doing things. Hence the importance of a small but significant business like Terranostra, the only cooperative supermarket in Mallorca, which goes beyond simply being a retail establishment: a large portion of its 600 members work in the store for two and a half hours a month, and, moreover, they all make the decisions that affect the cooperative. Defending local products, the land, and the dedication of farmers, as well as recognizing that consumption is crucial to the functioning of the world, are two of the driving forces behind the creation of Terranostra, which opened its doors after years of assembly-based work to lay the foundations of the project. In addition to the members, the project also employs two people. Over the years, the company has demonstrated its economic viability and is no longer operating at a loss: sales and the number of members have increased, and relationships with some seventy local suppliers have been strengthened.

"Our goal isn't simply to sell, but to make a large collective purchase among all the members," explains Lluís Ysasi, one of the two employees at Terranostra. In fact, there is a products and producers committee that makes these decisions—there are also committees for researching new products and suppliers, inter-cooperation, communication, and welcoming new members, in addition to a coordinating assembly. "The work of the members makes the project very special; it makes you truly feel that the supermarket is yours: you meet people, you take care of the space and the products, you can give your opinion and make suggestions. If you experience it this way, it's much more direct," notes Marta Pizarro, one of Terranostra's members and a member of the purchasing group. Local produce is a priority, and it's also important that it be organic and that packaging be minimized. Regarding cost, one of the cooperative's guidelines is not to negotiate lower prices with producers. "We never negotiate with fresh produce. Having direct contact with the producers gives us the tools to understand it," Pizarro emphasizes. The members guarantee a base of consistent buyers, and the relationship with their suppliers is based on trust. "We try to put a face to the producers, to show who is behind the food," Ysasi continues, explaining that the cooperative's training and awareness-raising work is very important. "Collaborating with an initiative like Terranostra is very important for us," says Xavier Ballester, manager of the Labradores Ecológicos de Mallorca (PEM) cooperative, who highlights the importance of consumers "valuing the product and being willing to pay what it's worth, not what the big supermarkets have decided it's worth." "It's about charging a fair price, not about farmers and Terranostra getting rich," he continues. Ballester emphasizes a point as basic as it is important: "Farmers have the right to earn a decent living." "In large supermarkets, profit margins take precedence, and they don't value what organic farming entails," he adds.

Another way of doing economics

Successful social economy initiatives like Terranostra demonstrate that things can be done differently, beyond the constant pursuit of increased corporate profit margins. "We have normalized that the leitmotiv "Maximum profitability is the goal. But if the company is more democratic, meets needs, provides services and care, and can pay decent wages without accumulating huge profits, many more would be viable," explains David Abril, Professor of Sociology at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). "These are real things, and many work well and grow without any institutional support," he says, also emphasizing the importance of the social economy in the Balearic Islands. "Everyone talks a big game about changing the model, but to do it, you have to leverage it," he adds. In places like Inca, the social economy already generates more than 12% of the wealth and represents almost 14% of wage earners, according to a recent study by the Intercoopera Foundation, "BK_SLT_LNA." "We must think about sustainable alternatives because they can be profitable," says Ysasi. In the case of Terranostra, being a non-profit entity, profits must be reinvested in the cooperative itself, improving its facilities or lowering its prices. "Bot_SLT_LNA~ Cooperativism. That our farmers receive a fair price and, in a way, free them from tasks that are very costly individually, such as marketing and logistics," she adds.

Be that as it may, the dimension of social economy enterprises goes beyond the economic sphere. "They have a community and activist aspect," they arise from civil society to provide answers that have not been met by either the public or private sectors. Supermarkets are an example, but things go further, with ethical banking, renewable energy, and consumer cooperatives," she emphasizes. A small supermarket may not change the world, but it can improve the lives of people and their neighborhoods. "We shop every day. It's important where you shop and whether you shop with discernment," concludes Marta Pizarro.