February 21, 2024.—“La Tiendica de Pina” begins serving the municipality’s 120 residents and visitors today as a measure to combat rural depopulation.

The Viver Cooperative has opened the first rural grocery store in Pina de Montalgrao—a small town in the interior of Castellón with 120 residents—since the town’s only store of this kind closed nearly a decade ago. The Cooperative has received support from the Pina City Council, which provided the storefront located at 8 Hospital Street for the business. During the grand opening of “La Tiendica de Pina,” held yesterday afternoon, the president of the Viver Cooperative, David Carot, noted that this initiative “stems from our commitment and strategic focus on providing local services in our villages and improving the quality of life for people in rural areas, which has been made possible thanks to the collaboration between the town council and our agri-food cooperative.” It is a high-quality grocery store with more than 700 product items at the same prices as in the city and with extended hours from Monday through Sunday—except on Tuesdays, when it will be closed—to also serve residents and weekend visitors. The store also offers a telephone ordering service to make shopping easier for customers, who can request products for next-day delivery. This initiative has the support of Consum and its Charter division for food distribution; however, due to its size, it does not offer all the features of the cooperative’s other supermarkets, which operate under a collaborative agreement with Consum. The Charter branch in Viver will handle logistics and serve as a liaison with the Pina store to ensure continued service excellence.

More than 50 resumes for a permanent position

“La Tiendica de Pina” also offers a job opportunity—a stable, high-quality position. The Viver Cooperative received more than 50 resumes for the position of store manager, a role ultimately filled by Mayte Oviedo, a 49-year-old local resident and mother of three, who says she is “very excited” about the store’s opening. The director of the Cooperativa de Viver, Fernando Marco, explains that “through this partnership, the town gains a new service, we create jobs, and it fills us with enthusiasm and determination to continue supporting local services in areas at risk of depopulation.” The grand opening of the new store in Pina de Montalgrao was also attended by the mayor, Mª Ángeles Murria, and the deputy mayor, Óscar Clemente, who have been deeply involved in the store’s opening.