The challenge of having the right products portfolio for consumers and/or producers food cooperatives.

This research thesis studies how consumers and/or producers food cooperatives choose products they sell. There will be a focus on products from distant countries. Indeed, people can think that it’s paradoxical to sell this kind of products as coops want to protect environment and promote local agriculture. Furthermore, we want to understand how their governance is articulated around products’ choice. This choice has to be made with all stakeholders’ interests and, at the same time, defend cooperatives’ values. To analyze this question, the theory of the economics of conventions will be used. This theory helps to assess the quality of a good through six different conventions. We will see which conventions are the most important for cooperatives. This will show us that a cooperative is, before all, an enterprise that needs to be economically viable. However, at the same time, it must defend and respect its values and meet consumers’ expectations.