Bloum

About Bloum

Bloum is a neighborhood cooperative grocery store in Forest, Brussels, built as a citizen-led transition initiative by local residents. It was created to offer an alternative way of consuming and financing economic activity, with a focus on accessible, durable food.

The cooperative serves its members and local shoppers with an organic-oriented grocery offer centered on bulk, local, ethical, and seasonal products. It positions itself as a practical, community-based alternative to the supermarket: a place to shop, meet, and support a different economic model rooted in social usefulness rather than profit maximization.

Core Values

• Locality: Bloum aims to stay close to its members and partners, strengthen neighborhood ties, and favor short supply chains.
• Responsibility: The cooperative places respect for people and the environment at the center of its actions and seeks to reduce its ecological footprint.
• Practical action: Bloum emphasizes concrete change through everyday choices, with an approach grounded in real-world impact.
• Collaboration: Members are encouraged to participate in the life of the cooperative through assemblies, working groups, volunteering, and shared decision-making.
• Social inclusion: The cooperative seeks to make durable products more accessible and to foster social mix, conviviality, and intercultural dialogue.

Unique Aspects

• Citizen cooperative model: Bloum is a social-purpose cooperative initiated by local residents, with financing based on member shares rather than bank loans or subsidies.
• Strong member participation: The cooperative is run with active involvement from more than 400 cooperators and a broader general assembly of more than 600 members, supported by working groups and volunteer help.
• Social-access approach: Bloum uses differentiated contributions and exemptions in some cases to improve access for people with fewer means, including partnerships that support social mix.
• Community partnerships: The cooperative works with local partners such as the Forest CPAS, P.A.R.T.S., and Ten Weyngaert on inclusion, member access, and neighborhood activities.
• Short-chain sourcing network: Its product range is supported by a wide network of nearby producers and suppliers, including local growers, bakers, brewers, and food artisans in and around Brussels and Wallonia.