Mesa Noa
LOCATION
CAGLIARI, SARDEGNA
SECTOR
COMMUNITY, ETHICAL AND SOLIDARITY STORE
YEAR OF INVESTMENT
2023
Mesa Noa was founded in 2019 in Cagliari, in the neighborhood of Mulinu Becciu (“Old Mill” in English), located in the northwestern outskirts of the city. This area is considered an urban zone in decline, characterized by widespread social distress and poverty.
The decision to establish the cooperative in a peripheral and challenging neighborhood aligns with Mesa Noa’s core mission: to be a community cooperative that interacts with the neighborhood, acting as a space for meeting, knowledge exchange, and mutual support.
The project was inspired by the Food Coop model, which offers alternative approaches to critical consumption compared to traditional large-scale retail chains (GDO). Through extensive efforts in promoting the project—via meetings, events, debates, and collaborations with Food Coops in Bologna, Paris, and Brussels—the circle of interested participants expanded, leading to the development of a feasibility plan. In March 2019, Mesa Noa Food Coop Cagliari was officially established.
Mesa Noa’s main activity is the management of an emporium, which is owned, managed, and frequented by its members. The products—both food and non-food items—are carefully selected by Mesa Noa members, prioritizing support for small-scale economies and environmentally respectful peasant farming.
In addition to the emporium, Mesa Noa promotes social and cultural initiatives both in the neighborhood where the emporium is located and across the metropolitan area. These efforts aim to build solidary and inclusive communities.
Today, the cooperative counts over 300 members.