CABAS
- Type
- Retailer
- Location
- Ixelles, Belgium
- Industries
- Direct to consumer, Food marketplace, Shortening supply chain, Supply chain monitoring & traceability
- Domains
- Fruit, Plant based primary products, Vegetables, Bakery, Processed food products, Fish, Animal based primary products, Almonds
About CABAS
Cabas is a Belgian social-economy cooperative of producers and artisans based in Ixelles, Brussels. It brings together small local producers and citizen-members to sell food products directly, without intermediaries, while trying to improve access to quality, seasonal, local food and support producers in earning a fair living. (cabas.coop)
The cooperative presents itself as more than a market: it is also a collective project built around solidarity, respect, and democracy. Cabas says it was founded in 2020 because producers were struggling to find outlets, first developed professional sales, and then opened a producer market in Ixelles in 2023. (cabas.coop)
Cabas also combines commerce with community-building and education. Through activities such as producer visits, cooking workshops, and meals, it aims to reconnect producers and citizens and keep food issues in the public conversation. (cabas.coop)
Core Values
- Solidarity: Cabas is built as a cooperative where producers, workers, and citizens work together and share in the project’s direction. (cabas.coop)
- Respect: The cooperative emphasizes respect for people, local producers, and working conditions, and says it wants an agricultural and food system that respects both land and people. (cabas.coop)
- Democracy and participation: Cabas says its general assembly includes all beneficiary groups, and that strategic choices are made collectively. (cabas.coop)
- Accessibility: The company aims to make quality, seasonal, local food accessible to everyone, including through social-structure deliveries and student discounts at the market. (cabas.coop)
- Support for local agriculture: Cabas explicitly promotes small local producers and pays attention to their ability to live decently from their work. (cabas.coop)
Unique Aspects
- Producer-and-citizen cooperative model: Cabas is not just a retailer; it is a cooperative jointly shaped by producers, workers, and citizens, which is central to how it governs the business. (cabas.coop)
- Social-economy recognition: Cabas says it won the Brussels Social Economy Prize in 2024 for its social impact and work since its creation in 2020. (cabas.coop)
- Alternative distribution channels: The cooperative was created to help producers find outlets and now combines direct market sales, professional sales, and social-structure deliveries. (cabas.coop)
- Organic certification: The website displays the EU organic certification mark (BE-BIO-01), indicating certified organic positioning for at least part of its offer. (cabas.coop)
- Brussels-based local footprint: Cabas is based in Ixelles and highlights the opening of its producer market there as a first in the Brussels region. (cabas.coop)