Is Coop the same company as another supermarket called Coop?

No. The Italian Coop consumer brand belongs to the cooperative system coordinated by Coop Italia S.c.a.r.l. Other retailers and cooperatives in different countries also use “Coop,” but they may have separate owners and no corporate connection to the Italian brand.

What was the first product sold under the Coop name?

The first documented Coop private-label product was a panettone packaged under the name of the Union of Milan Cooperatives in late 1896. The product was created in Milan.

When did Coop become one unified brand?

The Coop assortment was revised and unified under the single Coop brand in 1978. Before that change, eight commercial brands circulated within the Coop system during the 1970s.

Does Coop sell products outside Italy?

Yes. Coop Italian Food states that Coop products are sold internationally through export activity. The available information identifies export offices in Italy, the United States and Canada, but does not establish a complete country list.

Are Coop cosmetics cruelty-free?

Coop states that its cosmetics and personal-care products are not tested on animals and that their ingredients are not tested on animals. This statement concerns the relevant cosmetics and personal-care ranges, not every product sold under the Coop name.

Does Coop make its own products in its own factories?

Coop Italia coordinates purchasing and the development of Coop-branded products, while products are made by suppliers and producers for the relevant categories. Manufacturing locations vary by item, so one universal Coop factory does not make the full range.

How much of Coop’s retail business came from private-label products in 2025?

Coop private-label products generated more than €3.5 billion in turnover in the 2025 retail business. Private-label food products generated €2.2 billion in Coop Italia’s contracting activity that year.

Who owns Coop?

Coop

Ultimate ownerItalyCoop Italia S.c.a.r.l.

Brand origin: Italy
Main production: Several countries, incl. Italy

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About Coop

What is Coop?

Coop is an Italian consumer brand and retail private label operated within Italy’s consumer-cooperative system. Coop products include food, household goods, personal-care products and other non-food items. Coop Italian Food describes Coop as an Italian retailer with a history dating to 1854 and exports Coop products internationally. The Coop name is used across products sold through the cooperative retail network. Product categories include everyday groceries, packaged food, cosmetics, personal care, household products, baby products, pet products and other non-food merchandise. Named Coop ranges include ViviVerde, Fiorfiore, Bene.sì, Crescendo, Solidal, Origine and Coop Amici Speciali. Coop is also associated with services and activities operated within the wider retail system. These include Coop Voce mobile telecommunications, retail pharmacies in some stores, books and other consumer services. The consumer brand should not be confused with unrelated companies that use the word “Coop” in their names.

Who owns Coop?

Coop is ultimately owned by Coop Italia S.c.a.r.l., according to Made O’Meter’s ownership data verified on 13 September 2026. Coop Italia is a cooperative consortium headquartered in Italy, and its ownership structure is based on Italian consumer cooperatives rather than a conventional investor-owned parent company. Coop Italia was created in 1969 as the national consortium of consumer cooperatives. The consortium was initially established under the name Alleanza Italiana delle Cooperative di Consumo, or AICC. Its role was to coordinate purchasing, warehouse management, sales policies, marketing and the development of Coop-branded products for member cooperatives. The available ownership history identifies Coop Italia as the consortium behind the Coop consumer brand. It does not document an acquisition, sale price or change of corporate owner for the brand. The current structure therefore reflects the cooperative retail system that developed the Coop name in Italy. Coop Italia is connected to a network of consumer cooperatives that operate stores and serve members. Fairtrade states that Coop Italia comprises 75 consumer cooperatives, operates 1,030 stores, has 6.2 million members and employs more than 44,300 people.

Where does Coop come from?

Coop originated in Italy. The first Italian consumer cooperative was established in Turin in 1854 as the first Magazzino di Previdenza. The cooperative bought goods wholesale and resold them to members at cost. The early cooperative model focused on consumer purchasing power. Members joined together to obtain staple goods and avoid some of the costs associated with individual purchasing. This Turin initiative became part of the historical foundation of the Italian consumer-cooperative movement. The first documented Coop private-label product appeared in Milan in late 1896. The Union of Milan Cooperatives packaged a panettone under its own name, creating an early example of a cooperative product sold under a proprietary label. In 1947, the Italian Association of Consumer Cooperatives was founded to organize collective purchasing. The unified Coop brand was launched nationally after the cooperatives joined under it. In 1948, the consumer-cooperative movement produced branded staples including soap, coffee, cocoa, pasta and jam for Italian families. Designer Albe Steiner created the first Coop logo in 1960. Coop 1, the first large supermarket of the Italian consumer-cooperative movement, opened in Reggio Emilia in 1963. Coop Italia was created in 1969 as the national consortium of consumer cooperatives. During the 1970s, eight commercial brands circulated within the Coop system: Bianca, Corral, Babette, Sol d’Oro, Danke, Mares, Elis and Coop. The assortment was revised and unified under the single Coop brand in 1978. Coop introduced fair-trade products in 1995 and launched its first non-food products in the same year. Coop became the first large-scale retail chain in Europe to obtain SA8000 ethical certification in 1998. Beginning in 2000, members tested and evaluated private-label products through the Approvato da soci, or “Approved by members,” project. Coop launched the Eco-logici and Bio-logici product lines in 2002 and 2003. Those lines were incorporated into the ViviVerde range in 2009.

What products does Coop make?

Coop makes and sells private-label food, household, personal-care and other consumer products. The range includes staple groceries such as pasta, coffee, cocoa, jam and other packaged foods, as well as fresh food and non-food merchandise. Coop’s named product ranges serve different categories and consumer needs. ViviVerde covers organic food and ecological or sustainability-focused products. Fiorfiore is a premium food range. Bene.sì is designed for people with particular dietary needs. Crescendo covers products for babies and young children. Solidal includes fair-trade products. Origine is associated with food products whose supply chains can be traced. Coop Amici Speciali is a pet-products range. Casa Coop covers household cleaning products, while Io Coop and Cosmecos are associated with personal care and cosmetics. The Coop assortment has changed over time. The cooperative movement was already producing branded food staples in 1948. The range later expanded into fair-trade products and non-food items in 1995. Coop Italian Food states that Coop products are sold internationally through export activity. The export operation has offices in Casalecchio di Reno near Bologna, Prato, Norwalk in the United States and Toronto in Canada.

Is Coop an American brand?

Coop is an Italian brand, not an American brand. The consumer-cooperative movement behind Coop began in Turin in 1854, and Coop Italia is the Italian cooperative consortium ultimately associated with the brand. Coop products are exported internationally, including through Coop Italian Food operations in North America. International distribution does not change the brand’s Italian origin or its ultimate ownership by Coop Italia S.c.a.r.l. The name “Coop” is also used by unrelated cooperatives, retailers and companies in different countries. A product carrying the Italian Coop identity belongs to the Italian cooperative retail system described here, while another business using “Coop” may have a separate owner.

Who makes Coop products and where are they made?

Coop products are developed and contracted through Coop Italia for the member cooperatives, then manufactured by suppliers and producers for the relevant product category. Coop Italia’s 1969 consortium role included developing Coop-branded products and coordinating purchasing on behalf of member cooperatives. The available corporate history identifies Coop Italia as the organization coordinating the private-label system, but it does not identify one single factory or one universal manufacturing location for all Coop products. Manufacturing can therefore vary by product and supplier. Coop Italian Food lists a headquarters in Casalecchio di Reno, in the Bologna area of Italy, and an operational office and logistics site in Prato, Italy. Those locations are associated with the export and logistics organization. They are not presented as one factory making every Coop product. Consumers can determine the origin of a particular item from its packaging and product-specific labeling. Country of origin, producer details and required ingredient information can differ between products.

Is Coop tested on animals or suitable for vegans?

Coop states that its cosmetics and personal-care products are not tested on animals and that the products do not contain substances tested on animals. The Coop personal-care commitment began in 2005. Coop stated that it would not conduct or commission animal tests, would monitor suppliers and manufacturers, and would not use cosmetic raw materials obtained through killing animals. This animal-testing statement applies to the relevant cosmetics and personal-care categories. It does not establish that every Coop product is vegan. Vegan status depends on the ingredients and production details of each food, cosmetic or household item. Coop’s product range includes ordinary food, fair-trade products, organic products, household goods, cosmetics and other merchandise. Products within those categories can have different formulations. Consumers seeking vegan products need to check the labeling or product-specific certification for the individual item.

How large is Coop in Italy?

Coop held a 10.9% share of Italy’s large-scale retail market in 2025 and ranked third nationally. In 2025, the Coop retail chain reported €15.1 billion in retail turnover. Coop private-label products generated more than €3.5 billion in turnover. The broader Coop system reported total turnover of €17 billion in 2025, including retail sales. Coop Italia’s private-label food products generated €2.2 billion in turnover in 2025. Private label represented 30% of the consortium’s total contracting turnover. Fairtrade reports that Coop Italia comprises 75 consumer cooperatives, operates 1,030 stores, has 6.2 million members and employs more than 44,300 people. These figures describe the Coop Italia network reported by Fairtrade and are distinct from broader 2025 figures reported for the wider Coop system.

Has Coop been sold or recalled?

The available ownership history does not document a sale or acquisition that changed the corporate owner of the Coop consumer brand. Coop remains associated with Coop Italia S.c.a.r.l., the national consortium of Italian consumer cooperatives. Food recalls can apply to individual Coop products or batches rather than to the Coop brand as a whole. Italy’s Ministry of Health maintains a portal for food withdrawals and recalls, where operators publish notices when a product already sold to consumers presents a relevant risk. A recall notice is product-specific. Consumers need the exact product name, batch or lot number and expiry information to determine whether a particular item is affected. A recall of one product does not establish that all Coop products are recalled.

Frequently asked questions about Coop

Is Coop the same company as another supermarket called Coop?: No. The Italian Coop consumer brand belongs to the cooperative system coordinated by Coop Italia S.c.a.r.l. Other retailers and cooperatives in different countries also use “Coop,” but they may have separate owners and no corporate connection to the Italian brand.
What was the first product sold under the Coop name?: The first documented Coop private-label product was a panettone packaged under the name of the Union of Milan Cooperatives in late 1896. The product was created in Milan.
When did Coop become one unified brand?: The Coop assortment was revised and unified under the single Coop brand in 1978. Before that change, eight commercial brands circulated within the Coop system during the 1970s.
Does Coop sell products outside Italy?: Yes. Coop Italian Food states that Coop products are sold internationally through export activity. The available information identifies export offices in Italy, the United States and Canada, but does not establish a complete country list.
Are Coop cosmetics cruelty-free?: Coop states that its cosmetics and personal-care products are not tested on animals and that their ingredients are not tested on animals. This statement concerns the relevant cosmetics and personal-care ranges, not every product sold under the Coop name.
Does Coop make its own products in its own factories?: Coop Italia coordinates purchasing and the development of Coop-branded products, while products are made by suppliers and producers for the relevant categories. Manufacturing locations vary by item, so one universal Coop factory does not make the full range.
What is Coop’s best-known product range?: Coop’s core private-label range covers everyday food and household goods, while named ranges include ViviVerde, Fiorfiore, Bene.sì, Crescendo, Solidal and Origine. Coop also sells personal-care, cosmetics, pet-care and other non-food products.
How much of Coop’s retail business came from private-label products in 2025?: Coop private-label products generated more than €3.5 billion in turnover in the 2025 retail business. Private-label food products generated €2.2 billion in Coop Italia’s contracting activity that year.