A farmers‘ supermarket – Coeur Paysan

Prosperity

With all their heart: an authentic farmers’ market in an urban supermarket

Municipal councillor and vegetable farmer Denis Digel initiated Coeur Paysan (Farmer’s Heart), a supermarket which belongs to 40 farmers in the Alsace region. Together they bought this former hard-discount food store to sell their products directly. The idea? Ending food anonymity by re-creating links between producers and consumers, restoring food seasonality, and thereby bringing back the links of time, taste and territory. The store, situated in the city of Colmar (125,000 inhabitants with surroundings) offers a very diverse product range covering all food needs. This form of direct distribution enables the farmers to apply their skills and expertise, to get just and fair compensation for their work, to encourage a new form of local economic development and to support the territorial grid. By associating the heart symbol with their project, the farmers remind everybody that their role in society goes beyond productivity. They demonstrate that they also have a responsibility: to feed their fellow citizens with quality products while respecting the environment.