Good practice:

Regional cooperatives connecting local food producers and consumers

In 2008 Plattelandscentrum Meetjesland (an East-Flemish region) started a cooperative on short chain to extend the success story of a LEADER project: Mmm…eetjesland. Two other regions also founded a cooperative with the support of ECEF: Vlapas in the Flemish Ardennes (2013) ; Smaak van Waas in Waasland (2018).
The cooperatives work autonomously, but with the same goal: uniting regional producers, promote their products and pave the way of the consumer to the producer with a web shop and by organising all kinds of activities:
Mmm…eetjesland
-A large market with regional and farm products
-8 producers with their own farm shop sell their own products and those of other producers of the cooperative
-Gift baskets with regional products
Smaak van Waas & Vlapas
-Municipalities promote local gift baskets
-1 farm shop sells the products of the entire cooperative
The network of the producers is very strong. Regularly they meet and they learn a lot from each other. The indirect added value of the cooperatives is very important: participation on an expo, promotion of local authorities… reinforce the relationship with the consumer.
The foundation of the cooperatives was possible by selling shares to the producers. 1/3 of the value of the share had to be paid (prices below). Fixed expenses (hosting of the website, accountancy...) are paid with the revenue of the cooperatives, staff costs by Plattelandscentrum, otherwise it would be impossible for the cooperatives to stay alive.

-Mmm…eetjesland: shares of 150 euro + 200 euro admission fee
-Vlapas: shares of 250 euro + 200 euro admission fee
-Smaak van Waas: shares of 300 euro + 300 euro admission fee + producers have to work 35 hours (at €10/h) for the cooperative each year
Staff:
-Plattelandscentrum: 1fte
-Producers

Growth of web shops, eg. Mmm…eetjesland: 2020 revenue was 20K euro (+7K).
Large growth for the gift baskets of Smaak van Waas: 2020 revenue was +12K euro (+11K).
The market of Meetjesland has 700 to 1200 visitors a year.
Rising number of producers in the cooperatives:
-Mmm…eetjesland: 34 (1/3 of all the short chain producers in this region)
-Vlapas: 15
-Smaak van Waas: 15

-A large region weakens the connection between the producers. Vlapas appears to be less succesful
-Flaws in the offer: Meetjesland has no fruit and vegetable farmer and in Waasland there is no cheese producer
-Harmonising different businesses. Plattelandscentrum acts as impartial counsellor

The fact that the cooperative unites producers with all kinds of products (not only dairy farmers or meat producers, but cheese and meat and beer and chocolate and fruit) is very interesting and stimulating. It is a promotion of the local products on the one hand, but on the other hand it is also strengthening the regional identity.
It shows that a network like this doesn’t need a lot of resources. Producers learn from each other by working together, and the consumers find their way to regional and farm products. In the last couple of years the sales figures of the producers are all increasing, which proves that these initiatives pay off.