Let's renovate the "RIBET" house
Renovate the house and create a grocery store and a café to improve living together in Mauran
Our project consists of renovating a disused municipal building to make it a place of life, exchange and transgenerational sharing.
To do this, we will create on the ground floor: a grocery store and a café, both associative and participatory.
The upper floor will be valued as a multifunctional place open to the greatest number.
To do this, we will create on the ground floor: a grocery store and a café, both associative and participatory.
The upper floor will be valued as a multifunctional place open to the greatest number.
France
Maison RIBET, place de la mairie, 31220 MAURAN, FRANCE
Early initiative
No
No
Yes
No
No
31327: Mauran (FR)
We are a small rural community of 200 inhabitants without shops or schools.
Our project consists of renovating a communal building that has been abandoned for at least 30 years to make it a place of life, exchange and transgenerational sharing in the heart of the village.
In the immediate vicinity is the children's playground, the pétanque ground and the covered market.
To do this, we are working on opening a grocery store and a café on the ground floor. Both associative and participatory.
They will be run by the residents who are members of the association for 2 hours per month and per family.
We will sell local and organic products as much as possible.
Making group orders will allow us to get discounts.
The products listed will be sold without margin to increase purchasing power and so that people's standard of living is no longer a hindrance.
We are not here to make a profit, we are here to give joy.
The upper floor will be used as a multifunctional place:
- relaxation area with billiards, table football, and darts accessible from the café.
- It can also be used for meetings, DIY workshops, cooking or yoga classes for example.
(We have 2 other rooms in the town, but one is too small (20m²), and the other too large (300m²) and impossible to heat in winter given the price of electricity.)
- Finally, it will be equipped like an apartment with bathroom and kitchen and sofa beds so that one or more people in an emergency situation can find refuge there for a few days while they find a permanent situation. (such as battered women, family whose house has burned down, etc.)
Our project consists of renovating a communal building that has been abandoned for at least 30 years to make it a place of life, exchange and transgenerational sharing in the heart of the village.
In the immediate vicinity is the children's playground, the pétanque ground and the covered market.
To do this, we are working on opening a grocery store and a café on the ground floor. Both associative and participatory.
They will be run by the residents who are members of the association for 2 hours per month and per family.
We will sell local and organic products as much as possible.
Making group orders will allow us to get discounts.
The products listed will be sold without margin to increase purchasing power and so that people's standard of living is no longer a hindrance.
We are not here to make a profit, we are here to give joy.
The upper floor will be used as a multifunctional place:
- relaxation area with billiards, table football, and darts accessible from the café.
- It can also be used for meetings, DIY workshops, cooking or yoga classes for example.
(We have 2 other rooms in the town, but one is too small (20m²), and the other too large (300m²) and impossible to heat in winter given the price of electricity.)
- Finally, it will be equipped like an apartment with bathroom and kitchen and sofa beds so that one or more people in an emergency situation can find refuge there for a few days while they find a permanent situation. (such as battered women, family whose house has burned down, etc.)
human relationships
joy
sharing
tolerance
future
This project aims to reduce our carbon footprint:
- the first store is 5km from the village. Some people even travel more than 20km to do their shopping. The creation of this grocery store will significantly reduce car journeys and therefore the CO2 emitted.
- some people are used to ordering remotely individually. They will thus be able to share their historical suppliers and place joint orders in order to limit the number of deliveries and therefore less CO2
- the place will serve as a collection point for vegetable baskets that 9 residents are used to picking up individually 6km away. Another CO2 gain
The producers that we will reference must have local, sustainable, organic and soil regenerating agricultural practices.
We will thus offer local and better remunerative outlets for farmers.
The wealth produced thus remains in the territory and serves the territory. This brings resilience.
The side events that will be proposed by the members must be eco-responsible and promote the values of this project, namely: respect for humans and nature, which must be part of it unconditionally.
The same will apply to the artist programming (concert, film, documentary, exhibition, etc.)
The equipment in the premises (table, chair, shelf, etc.) will be second-hand or made from reused materials.
New objects will be exceptional and limited to cases requiring them, such as compliance with health standards.
We will use a building that has been disused for decades. So no anthropogenic use of new agricultural land.
- the first store is 5km from the village. Some people even travel more than 20km to do their shopping. The creation of this grocery store will significantly reduce car journeys and therefore the CO2 emitted.
- some people are used to ordering remotely individually. They will thus be able to share their historical suppliers and place joint orders in order to limit the number of deliveries and therefore less CO2
- the place will serve as a collection point for vegetable baskets that 9 residents are used to picking up individually 6km away. Another CO2 gain
The producers that we will reference must have local, sustainable, organic and soil regenerating agricultural practices.
We will thus offer local and better remunerative outlets for farmers.
The wealth produced thus remains in the territory and serves the territory. This brings resilience.
The side events that will be proposed by the members must be eco-responsible and promote the values of this project, namely: respect for humans and nature, which must be part of it unconditionally.
The same will apply to the artist programming (concert, film, documentary, exhibition, etc.)
The equipment in the premises (table, chair, shelf, etc.) will be second-hand or made from reused materials.
New objects will be exceptional and limited to cases requiring them, such as compliance with health standards.
We will use a building that has been disused for decades. So no anthropogenic use of new agricultural land.
The grocery store / café will be accessible to disabled people in accordance with current standards.
Everyone will be welcome regardless of their origin, skin color, religion, political party, gender and even financial capacity. It is written in the association's statutes, so it is part of its identity.
Too many people are put aside or put themselves aside due to lack of money.
We defend a café where coffee is sold at the price it cost, no more, no less.
The same goes for a mint with water.
A family with several children will be able to go out and see other families without worrying about their wallet and whether they will be able to buy something other than legs at the end of the month...
With this project, buying a beer here or in the supermarket 5km away will cost the same price (or less) but you will not drink it alone!
The village elders, some of whom can no longer drive but can still walk, welcome this project with enthusiasm. They will not have to do the 2 hours per month but some already insist on doing so. This will help them stay at home and simulate their brain capacity and therefore delay the onset of certain degenerative diseases.
With the help of games for children and the nearby pétanque field, all generations will play together.
During the coffee question, delivery for people who cannot move at all was already discussed and will be set up.
No one should be left behind
Everyone will be welcome regardless of their origin, skin color, religion, political party, gender and even financial capacity. It is written in the association's statutes, so it is part of its identity.
Too many people are put aside or put themselves aside due to lack of money.
We defend a café where coffee is sold at the price it cost, no more, no less.
The same goes for a mint with water.
A family with several children will be able to go out and see other families without worrying about their wallet and whether they will be able to buy something other than legs at the end of the month...
With this project, buying a beer here or in the supermarket 5km away will cost the same price (or less) but you will not drink it alone!
The village elders, some of whom can no longer drive but can still walk, welcome this project with enthusiasm. They will not have to do the 2 hours per month but some already insist on doing so. This will help them stay at home and simulate their brain capacity and therefore delay the onset of certain degenerative diseases.
With the help of games for children and the nearby pétanque field, all generations will play together.
During the coffee question, delivery for people who cannot move at all was already discussed and will be set up.
No one should be left behind
The development of the entire building will be done with the residents who are members of the association.
They will decide what to put in it and what to do there in addition to the grocery store and the café:
A special corner for children with the old furniture from the municipal school closed since 1985?
Snacks for children every Friday after school?
A wood-fired oven to bake pizzas, bread or pies?
A pool table? Pinball? Table football? Darts? Other games?
A photo exhibition of the protected wild orchids that we have in the town?
We have artists in the town. They will be able to exhibit, or even teach!
They are not short of ideas, just a place to make them happen...
Once again, they will be the ones who will decide TOGETHER.
Please also note that 2 events are already planned by the association: a craft market in June 2025 and a festival in August 2025 with the support of our inter-municipality.
They will decide what to put in it and what to do there in addition to the grocery store and the café:
A special corner for children with the old furniture from the municipal school closed since 1985?
Snacks for children every Friday after school?
A wood-fired oven to bake pizzas, bread or pies?
A pool table? Pinball? Table football? Darts? Other games?
A photo exhibition of the protected wild orchids that we have in the town?
We have artists in the town. They will be able to exhibit, or even teach!
They are not short of ideas, just a place to make them happen...
Once again, they will be the ones who will decide TOGETHER.
Please also note that 2 events are already planned by the association: a craft market in June 2025 and a festival in August 2025 with the support of our inter-municipality.
Since the official presentation of the project to the population, we have held 2 other events + a questionnaire where they were able to express themselves and give their opinion on this project.
The next step is to create a WhatsApp group in order to easily keep up to date with the next steps which will be:
- general assembly
- constitution of working groups to train in the management software, to approach suppliers
- define dates to start the emptying, tidying, cleaning work of the building.
- what equipment to buy as a priority
So from now on, all decisions are made collectively.
We believe loud and clear that this is imperative to guarantee the sustainability of the project because even if a creative member disappears, the project will continue because it will belong to all its members, not just one!
The next step is to create a WhatsApp group in order to easily keep up to date with the next steps which will be:
- general assembly
- constitution of working groups to train in the management software, to approach suppliers
- define dates to start the emptying, tidying, cleaning work of the building.
- what equipment to buy as a priority
So from now on, all decisions are made collectively.
We believe loud and clear that this is imperative to guarantee the sustainability of the project because even if a creative member disappears, the project will continue because it will belong to all its members, not just one!
As mentioned above, all decisions will be taken collectively by the members of the association.
To make decisions and especially to make good ones, we can count on the experience of "bouge ton coq" but not only.
In the surrounding area, other similar projects have emerged. We plan to go see them in a small group to find out what worked and what didn't work for them so as not to repeat the same mistakes.
Concerning the producers of the foodstuffs sold in the grocery store, a lot of research work will be carried out so that the collaboration is local and profitable for all parties.
Good to know, the software offered and financed by "bouge ton coq" allows you to reference and share all the suppliers used by all the grocery stores already open.
Here in Haute Garonne we don't have champagne but we have good wine.
The Champegnoise grocery store will share its good tips for champagne and we will do the same for wine.
It's a win-win sharing.
And if we are lucky enough to win this competition, we hope that the spotlight on this project will shine far beyond Europe...
To make decisions and especially to make good ones, we can count on the experience of "bouge ton coq" but not only.
In the surrounding area, other similar projects have emerged. We plan to go see them in a small group to find out what worked and what didn't work for them so as not to repeat the same mistakes.
Concerning the producers of the foodstuffs sold in the grocery store, a lot of research work will be carried out so that the collaboration is local and profitable for all parties.
Good to know, the software offered and financed by "bouge ton coq" allows you to reference and share all the suppliers used by all the grocery stores already open.
Here in Haute Garonne we don't have champagne but we have good wine.
The Champegnoise grocery store will share its good tips for champagne and we will do the same for wine.
It's a win-win sharing.
And if we are lucky enough to win this competition, we hope that the spotlight on this project will shine far beyond Europe...
This project involves several actors:
- municipal council and other actors of the political world
- residents regardless of their age and profession
- farmers
- producers
- merchants
- craftsmen
- artists
- media
- etc...
This diversity leads to a great diversity in the fields of expertise and the knowledge necessary for the realization of this project:
- project management
- psychology and human relations
- participatory management
- preparation of files for the subsidy and competitions ;)
- construction and DIY work
- collective catering
- etc...
Everyone will be able to bring their personal touch according to their sensitivity and the expertise acquired.
They will be seen and shared with other members who will enrich themselves intellectually and emotionally and improve their open-mindedness.
- municipal council and other actors of the political world
- residents regardless of their age and profession
- farmers
- producers
- merchants
- craftsmen
- artists
- media
- etc...
This diversity leads to a great diversity in the fields of expertise and the knowledge necessary for the realization of this project:
- project management
- psychology and human relations
- participatory management
- preparation of files for the subsidy and competitions ;)
- construction and DIY work
- collective catering
- etc...
Everyone will be able to bring their personal touch according to their sensitivity and the expertise acquired.
They will be seen and shared with other members who will enrich themselves intellectually and emotionally and improve their open-mindedness.
It is a place of life for the inhabitants that the inhabitants will hold themselves. They are actors of their own future. They are the ones who make decisions TOGETHER.
They will not do it to earn money because the project is non-profit.
They will do it to help each other in joy and good humor.
No one will be left behind, even those who earn little and who cannot go to a classic café to have a beer with their friends.
In this café, the beer will cost the same price (or less) than if you had bought it in the supermarket of the neighboring town.
And instead of drinking it alone at home, you will be surrounded by your neighbors and other people that you would never have had the opportunity to meet...
An other particularity of this project is that the grocery store starts with 0€ in the bank. It is the members of the association who pay money to top up their personal winnings that will be used to pay for their product.
But it is with the sums of their personal prize pools that the grocery store will place its first orders.
So the members pool their money!
The place will not only be used for the grocery store and café. It will be used for other associations in the village and surrounding areas.
To anyone wishing to set up a project.
And as mentioned above, to people in emergency situations.
They will not do it to earn money because the project is non-profit.
They will do it to help each other in joy and good humor.
No one will be left behind, even those who earn little and who cannot go to a classic café to have a beer with their friends.
In this café, the beer will cost the same price (or less) than if you had bought it in the supermarket of the neighboring town.
And instead of drinking it alone at home, you will be surrounded by your neighbors and other people that you would never have had the opportunity to meet...
An other particularity of this project is that the grocery store starts with 0€ in the bank. It is the members of the association who pay money to top up their personal winnings that will be used to pay for their product.
But it is with the sums of their personal prize pools that the grocery store will place its first orders.
So the members pool their money!
The place will not only be used for the grocery store and café. It will be used for other associations in the village and surrounding areas.
To anyone wishing to set up a project.
And as mentioned above, to people in emergency situations.
First of all, to avoid having to make a profit like in a traditional business, we first made sure to have fixed costs reduced to a minimum: bank fees, insurance, management software and that's all.
The members of the association give 2 hours of their time to open the grocery store, so there is no salary to pay.
No rent either, because the building is lent free of charge by the town hall.
The electricity and water costs are also covered by the town hall.
Finally, we involve the residents from the beginning of the project.
They are the ones who will choose the opening days and times.
They are the ones who will choose the producers and the products that will be sold there.
They are the ones who will tinker with the interior design with second-hand materials.
And they will do it TOGETHER!
The more of them there are, the more open the place will be; it's a virtuous circle.
The members of the association give 2 hours of their time to open the grocery store, so there is no salary to pay.
No rent either, because the building is lent free of charge by the town hall.
The electricity and water costs are also covered by the town hall.
Finally, we involve the residents from the beginning of the project.
They are the ones who will choose the opening days and times.
They are the ones who will choose the producers and the products that will be sold there.
They are the ones who will tinker with the interior design with second-hand materials.
And they will do it TOGETHER!
The more of them there are, the more open the place will be; it's a virtuous circle.
This project is transposable because we ourselves are transposing it. Let me explain:
The association "o bocaux thé" which is carrying out this project is supported by the association "bouge ton coq".
"Bouge ton coq" aims to support municipalities in creating associative grocery stores.
Since 2021, 70 have already opened and 130 are currently being created.
"Bouge ton coq" is funded by the French state and its approach is completely free for the municipalities and associations they support.
Better still, in addition to their engineering assistance, they help project leaders financially: a grant of €500 to finance the first equipment such as refrigerators, a coffee machine, etc. + €1,100 to finance the management software for the first 2 years.
They also help us to put together a grant application with the ANCT "Agence nationale de la coopération des territoires" which we would not have known about without them. The key is a grant of up to €50,000 for the renovation of the building that will house the grocery store.
The methodology therefore exists, and has already proven itself.
The other essential element is motivated human beings who share the values that such a project embodies. There are some everywhere around us, we just have to support them and give them a chance...
The association "o bocaux thé" which is carrying out this project is supported by the association "bouge ton coq".
"Bouge ton coq" aims to support municipalities in creating associative grocery stores.
Since 2021, 70 have already opened and 130 are currently being created.
"Bouge ton coq" is funded by the French state and its approach is completely free for the municipalities and associations they support.
Better still, in addition to their engineering assistance, they help project leaders financially: a grant of €500 to finance the first equipment such as refrigerators, a coffee machine, etc. + €1,100 to finance the management software for the first 2 years.
They also help us to put together a grant application with the ANCT "Agence nationale de la coopération des territoires" which we would not have known about without them. The key is a grant of up to €50,000 for the renovation of the building that will house the grocery store.
The methodology therefore exists, and has already proven itself.
The other essential element is motivated human beings who share the values that such a project embodies. There are some everywhere around us, we just have to support them and give them a chance...
The habitability of the earth FOR OUR SPECIES is greatly threatened. This means that we urgently need to change our lifestyle and consumption habits because they are the ones that have the greatest impact.
With this project, we:
- Promote local, sustainable agriculture that regenerates the soil (and therefore the climate) and pays the producer a fair price.
- We avoid car journeys to go shopping, therefore CO2.
- We also avoid transport, since orders are grouped and therefore fewer delivery trucks, therefore more CO2 saved.
- We create a living space where people who are not used to crossing paths can get to know each other, exchange, learn together and thus gain tolerance!
- The model without profit guarantees that the most deprived will have their place, so we are totally inclusive.
- We give power back to the resident members since they are the ones who make the decisions (opening days and hours, choice of products and suppliers, investments, events organized in parallel, prices, etc.)
- This place will be used for film screenings, documentaries, concerts or theaters. The programming choices will be made in line with our philosophy: that is to say, committed to a revival of consciences!
This type of local initiative is essential to create local resilience, we will need it with the future that is looming, otherwise we will run to human catastrophe...
With this project, we:
- Promote local, sustainable agriculture that regenerates the soil (and therefore the climate) and pays the producer a fair price.
- We avoid car journeys to go shopping, therefore CO2.
- We also avoid transport, since orders are grouped and therefore fewer delivery trucks, therefore more CO2 saved.
- We create a living space where people who are not used to crossing paths can get to know each other, exchange, learn together and thus gain tolerance!
- The model without profit guarantees that the most deprived will have their place, so we are totally inclusive.
- We give power back to the resident members since they are the ones who make the decisions (opening days and hours, choice of products and suppliers, investments, events organized in parallel, prices, etc.)
- This place will be used for film screenings, documentaries, concerts or theaters. The programming choices will be made in line with our philosophy: that is to say, committed to a revival of consciences!
This type of local initiative is essential to create local resilience, we will need it with the future that is looming, otherwise we will run to human catastrophe...
The association "o bocaux thé" was created in August 2024.
The bank account was opened in January 2025.
The association and the project were officially presented to the residents during the town hall's wishes on January 11, 2025.
A question café was organized on January 25 to find out the residents' opinions following the first presentation. At the same time, a questionnaire was distributed to the entire village.
A public meeting with the arrival of "Bouge ton coq" was held on February 11. We went into even more detail about the project and its expected operation. We also showed the results of the questionnaire.
The general assembly of "o bocaux thé" is scheduled for March 2025 so that interested people can officially become members.
In April 2025 we plan to empty, tidy up, clean and briefly insulate the premises in order to be able to open the grocery store in degraded mode without waiting for the total renovation of the building.
We are aiming for the first opening of the grocery store and the café in May 2025.
The good weather will help ensure its sustainability.
At the end of 2025 the town hall will request subsidies for the total renovation from the usual financiers: the state, the region, the department and the intercommunality.
The answers will arrive in June 2026.
We will then be able to schedule work for the winter of 2026-2027.
The place will therefore be fully functional for the summer of 2027, which is very very fast for a small town of 200 inhabitants.
If the subsidy rates are not sufficient and given the finances of the town, the inhabitants are already ready to give their time to renovate the premises themselves. This will once again lead to sharing, exchange of mutual aid and the development of new skills.
Some are used to it since we renovated another smaller room (20m²) in this way in 2021-2022 to make it the premises of the associations.
The bank account was opened in January 2025.
The association and the project were officially presented to the residents during the town hall's wishes on January 11, 2025.
A question café was organized on January 25 to find out the residents' opinions following the first presentation. At the same time, a questionnaire was distributed to the entire village.
A public meeting with the arrival of "Bouge ton coq" was held on February 11. We went into even more detail about the project and its expected operation. We also showed the results of the questionnaire.
The general assembly of "o bocaux thé" is scheduled for March 2025 so that interested people can officially become members.
In April 2025 we plan to empty, tidy up, clean and briefly insulate the premises in order to be able to open the grocery store in degraded mode without waiting for the total renovation of the building.
We are aiming for the first opening of the grocery store and the café in May 2025.
The good weather will help ensure its sustainability.
At the end of 2025 the town hall will request subsidies for the total renovation from the usual financiers: the state, the region, the department and the intercommunality.
The answers will arrive in June 2026.
We will then be able to schedule work for the winter of 2026-2027.
The place will therefore be fully functional for the summer of 2027, which is very very fast for a small town of 200 inhabitants.
If the subsidy rates are not sufficient and given the finances of the town, the inhabitants are already ready to give their time to renovate the premises themselves. This will once again lead to sharing, exchange of mutual aid and the development of new skills.
Some are used to it since we renovated another smaller room (20m²) in this way in 2021-2022 to make it the premises of the associations.
