Biocoop – Cooperativa de Consumo de Produtos Biológicos

Biocoop started in 1993 in Chão do Loureiro, in downtown Lisbon, founded by a group of people interested in organic products at a time when the market barely existed in Portugal. In 2000 the cooperative moved to Prior Velho, where it still operates today, open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 8pm. As a consumer cooperative, Biocoop is owned by its members (sócios) rather than external shareholders. Its stated purpose is to make organic food and other products available to members for a healthier diet and lifestyle, produced in ways that respect nature. The shop stocks fresh produce, meat from national producers (veal, lamb, kid, chicken and duck), a range of dairy and plant-based yoghurts, fresh pasta, cheeses, cured meats and desserts, alongside vegetarian staples such as seitan and tofu. It also carries fruit and vegetables, dry goods, frozen food, drinks, supplements and non-food items. Beyond the shop, Biocoop runs home delivery and wholesale services, a weekly newsletter with recipes, and an activities programme that includes in-store tastings and organised visits to the farms that supply it. One such visit took members to Horto São Silvestre, a 15-hectare farm in Rio Maior that has supplied lettuce, leeks, onions, carrots, potatoes, courgettes, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes and melon to Biocoop since 2002. Another took them to Quinta da Biofrade in Lourinhã. These visits let members see first-hand how the food they buy is grown. Contact for the cooperative is available by phone, email and through its Figo Maduro store address in Prior Velho.