The winter sun shone this afternoon on the Place Ambroise-Courtois in Lyon, where market vendors were setting up their stalls. Shortly after the weekly market opened, Marie-Marthe Darmet began her shopping. She headed purposefully towards her trusted cheese vendor, Nicolas Fanjat. He is a sheep farmer in the Monts du Lyonnais, a range of hills 40 kilometers from Lyon. Darmet decided on a fresh cheese today. To pay, she pulled out her mobile phone. But she didn’t open her bank’s app, but rather that of her food cooperative, “Calim8.” There, she selected the name of her cheese vendor, entered the price and pressed “Confirm.” She showed the receipt to Nicolas Fanjat and was able to continue on her way.
The food cooperative resembles the French social security system. The difference is that it doesn’t ensure medical care, but rather nutrition. Currently, 158 households, comprising a total of 353 people, are part of the project. They all contribute on a trust basis according to their financial means into the fund and receive a monthly budget of 150 euros per person. An additional 75 euros is allocated for each additional person over the age of 14, and 45 euros for a child under 14. The money can only be spent in democratically selected shops that are contractually linked to the food cooperative. “Calim8” was founded exactly two years ago, and since then, over 25 companies have become partners: solidarity grocery stores, organic shops, and vegetable box distributors, as well as bakeries, vegetable farmers, cheese makers, butchers, fishmongers, and a community café. Cheese vendor Fanjat was added as a contract partner three months ago. He initially had concerns that the payment system might be too complicated for his accounting. Today, he is glad to be part of the food insurance: “I am happy that everyone has access to our products in this way and that I am paid fairly for my perform.”
