FoodCoopShop is open-source software for food cooperatives and local shops. See its features, self-hosting vs hosted pricing, history, and alternatives.
Category
Productivity
Pricing
Open Source / Freemium, from Free (self-hosted)
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2014
Headquarters
Scharnstein, Austria
Free PlanWeb AppOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
FoodCoopShop is open-source software for managing the ordering, inventory, deposit accounts, and point-of-sale needs of food cooperatives, organic shops, and farm shops. It was created in May 2014 by Mario Rothauer in Scharnstein, Upper Austria, after he founded a local food cooperative and needed software to run it.
The project went open source in 2016 following a Netidee grant, and by 2026 it is used by roughly 54 initiatives, with 119 GitHub stars and 22 active contributors, built on CakePHP and MySQL with a Docker-based development environment.
Key Features
The platform automates the weekly order cycle: producers get their own login area, automatic PDF order-list emails are sent to producers, and the system supports weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and one-off collective delivery rhythms.
A cashless deposit and credit system lets members shop against a running account balance, and the platform also supports self-service, in-person shopping with barcode scanning and cash register integration for shops that serve walk-in customers, plus a network module that syncs product data for producers supplying multiple cooperatives.
Pricing
FoodCoopShop is free to download and self-host under its open-source license. For organizations that prefer not to run their own server, the project offers a professionally hosted and installed version.
The hosted option costs a one-time installation fee of EUR 1,290 (including 20% VAT) plus an ongoing annual service fee of EUR 619 (including VAT); domain registration is billed separately, and support is available in person near Scharnstein or remotely via paid support further away.
Key Features
Automated producer order lists — Generates and emails automatic weekly PDF order lists to producers so they know exactly what to prepare and deliver.
Flexible delivery rhythms — Supports weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and one-off collective bulk order cycles to match different cooperative operating models.
Deposit and credit system — Members pay into a running account balance and shop cashlessly against it, removing the need to handle cash at pickup.
Producer login area — Manufacturers and producers get their own login to manage and update their product listings directly.
Network module for multi-coop producers — Producers supplying multiple food cooperatives running separate FoodCoopShop instances can synchronize product data centrally instead of updating each shop individually.
In-person self-service and barcode scanning — Supports walk-in, self-service shopping with optional barcode scanning at the point of sale for shops with a physical storefront.
Cash register and invoice integration — Integrates with physical cash registers and generates invoices for hybrid retail operations serving both members and walk-in customers.
Multi-language support — Available in German, English, and Russian, reflecting use across the German-speaking cooperative movement and beyond.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Purpose-built for the specific operational needs of food cooperatives and small food retailers
Free to self-host as open-source software, with an optional professionally managed hosting alternative
Long track record of active maintenance since 2014 with at least one release per year
Deposit/credit system and producer order automation remove significant manual admin work for volunteer-run coops
Growing community of roughly 54 active initiatives and 22 contributors as of 2026
Cons
Primarily documented and supported in German, which may create a language barrier outside German-speaking Europe
In-person support is limited to organizations within roughly 50km of Scharnstein, Austria
Hosted service pricing (EUR 1,290 setup plus EUR 619/year) may be significant for very small or newly formed cooperatives
Smaller ecosystem and contributor base compared to general-purpose e-commerce platforms
Self-hosting requires PHP/MySQL server administration skills if not using the paid hosted option
Yes, the open-source software can be downloaded and self-hosted for free. A paid, professionally hosted and installed version is also available for a one-time EUR 1,290 installation fee plus an EUR 619 annual service fee (both including VAT).
Who created FoodCoopShop and when?
FoodCoopShop was created by Mario Rothauer, a software engineer in Scharnstein, Upper Austria, starting in May 2014 after he founded a local food cooperative called Fairteiler and needed software to run it. It became open source in 2016 following a Netidee grant.
What technology is FoodCoopShop built on?
FoodCoopShop is built on the CakePHP framework with a MySQL database, and the project provides a Docker-based development environment for contributors and self-hosters.
Can FoodCoopShop be used by shops that are not member cooperatives?
Yes. Since around 2018, the platform has expanded beyond formally structured food cooperatives to also serve commercial organic (bio) shops and farm shops, including in-person, self-service retail with barcode scanning and cash register integration.
How does FoodCoopShop compare to Foodsoft?
Both are open-source, self-hosted platforms for managing food cooperatives, but FoodCoopShop is built on CakePHP/MySQL and has expanded into serving commercial bio-shops and point-of-sale retail, while Foodsoft is built on Ruby on Rails and originates from the broader German food coop movement's shared hosting platform.
What languages does FoodCoopShop support?
FoodCoopShop supports German, English, and Russian, reflecting its primary user base in German-speaking Europe and its wider international adoption.