Home Delivery: MONDAY TO SATURDAY
When we walk into San Crispín to fill our shopping baskets, we often see only one part of all the work that takes place behind the scenes. The cooperative is much more than a place where people can buy local products. It is also a collective project working to make Menorca’s food system increasingly sustainable, fair and resilient. This is precisely the mission of the new Projects Area, created just one year ago.
WHAT DOES THE PROJECTS AREA DO?
The Projects Area was created with a very clear goal: to help the cooperative look beyond its day-to-day activity. It is not simply about seeking funding or applying for grants. Its purpose is to promote initiatives that strengthen San Crispín’s role as an active player in the transformation of Menorca’s food system.
This means building alliances with other organisations, taking part in collaborative networks, developing innovative projects and creating spaces where producers, public administrations, researchers and consumers can think together about what we want the future of food to look like. Because major changes cannot be achieved alone.
CONNECTING MENORCA WITH EUROPE
Over the past year, we have continued to take part in the European GOV4ALL project, an initiative that promotes regenerative agriculture, improved soil health and new forms of collaboration between all the stakeholders in the territory.
San Crispín is part of the Menorca Living Lab, together with GOB Menorca, the University of Valencia and the agronomic company Rayën Soluciones Agronomicas. This participation allows us to learn from other Mediterranean regions, share experiences and bring new ideas back to the island.
During the year, we have taken part in international meetings on the island of Lesbos and in the Peloponnese in Greece, where we discovered inspiring initiatives that help us adapt good practices to Menorca’s particular reality.
This coming October, Menorca itself will host representatives from the different European Living Labs, turning the island into an international meeting point for discussing the future of agriculture and food.
BUILDING ALLIANCES
One of the most important developments has been the strengthening of the Alliance for an Agroecological Menorca, a space that brings together farmers, environmental organisations, public administrations, businesses and citizens.
San Crispín has been part of the initiative’s core group since its beginnings. This means actively participating in defining projects that could shape the island’s food future.
Over recent months, several participatory workshops have been organised to identify shared needs and explore new forms of collaboration between all those involved.
As a result of this work, pilot regenerative agriculture initiatives have also been launched with farms in Menorca, some of which are currently suppliers to the cooperative.
FUTURE AGROECOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION CENTRE
Another of this year’s major projects is the feasibility study for the future Agroecological Distribution Centre (CAD), promoted by San Crispín with the support of the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation.
The starting question is simple. How can we make it easier for agroecological food produced in Menorca to reach retailers and consumers? Many small producers make high-quality food but often struggle to manage all the logistics, distribution and marketing themselves. At the same time, initiatives such as ours need access to a stable, coordinated and accessible supply of local products.
To address this challenge, over recent months we have carried out interviews, visited agricultural and livestock farms, held meetings with producers and organised participatory sessions with different stakeholders across the island.
This process is allowing us to gain first-hand knowledge of the sector’s real needs and to assess whether a future distribution centre could become a useful tool for strengthening short food supply chains.
BRINGING PROJECTS CLOSER TO CONSUMERS
The Projects Area also works to ensure that all this knowledge reaches San Crispín’s members and consumers.
Over the past year, visits have been organised to farms supplying San Crispín, along with family workshops on local products, showcooking sessions focused on seasonal cooking and food safety, talks on biodiversity and sustainable gardens, and visits to inspiring initiatives such as Biela y Tierra.
All these activities share a common goal: to bring people closer to the territory, its producers and its food culture.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
We are working to create more opportunities for local producers, make more locally sourced food accessible to everyone and build a cooperative that, in addition to distributing food, actively contributes to creating a more sustainable, resilient food system rooted in the territory.
This is the path we continue to follow, and we are delighted to be able to share it with everyone who is part of San Crispín.