Title. Also include the link to the service
Mapo Dure Online
e-commerce website: http://www.dure.coop/shop
community website: http://www.mapocoop.org
Sub title
Online platform for a food cooperative in South Korea.
City, Country
Seoul, South Korea
Starting year
2003
Size of users
2500 registered members (only the members can use the service).
Source
An interview with the vice president of Mapo Dure.
http://www.dure.coop/shop
http://www.mapocoop.org
Keywords
(Choose one or more types from exchanging, sharing, networking, empowering/enabling, promoting user participation, promoting mutual help, integrating functions, connecting local-global)
• Networking
• Empowering/enabling
• Promoting user participation
• Integrating functions
Service Type
(Producers/consumers networks, Community-based initiatives, Result-oriented encounters, Mutual-support circles, Caring and support activities, Competences, time and products exchange, Products and places sharing, Mapping diffused information)
• Producers/consumers network
| Relationship of interaction | □ community – community □ individual – community □ community – individual v individual – individual |
| Activitiy | □ to co-create v to share □ to exchange v to buy and/or sell □ to entertain v to educate and learn □ to care v to help v to participate in political activities □ others: |
| Objective | □ to improve welfare □ to improve safety □ to improve productivity v to improve social conviviality v to reduce environmental impact v to disseminate ideas v to have economical benefits □ others: |
Service description and the aim (in brief)
Dure is a food cooperative in Korea and Mapo Dure is a franchise in Mapo district, Seoul. In 2003, Dure launched a digital platform including online shop to improve the access of its services to the customers and Mapo Dure Online is a result of this initiative.
The aim of Mapo Dure Online is to support activities of the cooperative and to provide a virtual space for grassroots activities organized by the local community.
Service promoter/provider
Non-profit organization
Target user
Residents of Mapo district
Image
Figure 1. Online shop
Figure 2. Moodboard
Problematic background and context (in brief)
Before the online platform was built, there were only two stores in Mapo district that sell organic produce of the cooperative, and therefore the service was limited to the residents who live nearby. Now about 40% of total sales take place online. In addition to the e-commerce service, the platform provides a virtual space to support communication between the coop and customers. For example, it is used as a channel to listen to customers’ voices, organize meetups among the members, exchange job information.
Solution description
Mapo Dure Online supports a wide range of services:
• Online shop that sells products of the coop
• A channel to collect customers’ voices
• Information on the organization including organizational structure and philosophy
• Education center that hosts a variety of educational programs
• Newsletter
and grassroots activities:
• Bulletin board to support town meetups
• Special interest groups such as a car sharing group, recipe exchanging group.
• Multimedia repository for people to share photos and videos
Key-Innovation
Well designed online shop, use of digital technologies to support grassroots activites.
Who are the partners?
None
Social, economical and environmental benefits if any (in brief)
• Social benefits: Dure cooperative only deals with local products except for some fair-trade products such as coffee and sugar. In doing so, it promotes development of local agricultural industries which are in danger due to globalization of the market and consequently contributes to revitalizing local communities. Its participation in the fair trade supports the producers of under-developed countries.
• Environmental benefits: Dure cooperative promotes environment-friendly production and consumption and only sell the products produced in this way.
• Economical benefits: Because it is a non-profit organization, people can buy quality products at a relatively lower price than other organic brands.
To what extent do users participate in providing the service?
The organizational structure of a cooperative which is based on P2P relationship is carried on to the digital platform. The platform facilitates the activities of the cooperative. In other words, the open structure of the platform is based on the relation built in the physical world. In this sense, it is different from a purely digital P2P community.
Describe positive qualities that this service create to the members and to society.
Sharing knowledge and information on critical consumption and production, social conviviality
Enabling technologies. If applicable, describe the technologies and their roles in this collaboration.
e-commerce platform, blog
