Good intentions need good structure.
Parmenas (say PAR-meh-nus) is the member-owned co-op platform that helps a cooperative keep its promises to its members, its board, its volunteers, and its community. Built for member-owned food co-ops and buying clubs, it is currently in closed testing.
The story of the name
Nearly two thousand years ago, a young community faced a problem that still sounds familiar.
Its members had promised to share what they had and to look after one another. Every day, food was set aside for those who needed it most. But as the community grew, some of its people (widows who spoke a different language from most of their neighbours) were being overlooked when the food was handed out.
No one had stopped caring. The problem wasn't a lack of goodwill. The community needed a dependable way to carry out its commitments.
So it chose seven people it trusted, known for their fairness and good sense, and gave them the everyday work of making sure the sharing was done well, and done fairly.
One of the seven was named Parmenas.
History tells us almost nothing else about him. It remembers only that he was trusted with the ordinary, essential work of fairness. We chose his name because of what that moment represents: good intentions need good structure.
That principle is the foundation of Parmenas. It gives your co-op a dependable way to keep its promises, so that as you grow, no one is overlooked.
Compromisos cumplidos.
Hace casi dos mil años, una comunidad joven enfrentó un problema que todavía nos resulta familiar.
Sus miembros se habían comprometido a compartir lo que tenían y a cuidarse unos a otros. Cada día se apartaba comida para quienes más la necesitaban. Pero a medida que la comunidad crecía, algunas personas (viudas que hablaban un idioma distinto al de la mayoría de sus vecinos) quedaban olvidadas cuando se repartía la comida.
Nadie había dejado de preocuparse. El problema no era la falta de buena voluntad. La comunidad necesitaba una manera confiable de cumplir sus compromisos.
Así que eligió a siete personas de confianza, conocidas por su justicia y su buen juicio, y les encargó el trabajo diario de asegurar que el reparto se hiciera bien, y con justicia.
Una de esas siete personas se llamaba Parmenas.
La historia casi no nos dice nada más de él. Solo recuerda que se le confió el trabajo cotidiano, y esencial, de la justicia. Elegimos su nombre por lo que ese momento representa: las buenas intenciones necesitan una buena estructura.
Ese principio es la base de Parmenas. Le da a tu cooperativa una manera confiable de cumplir sus promesas, para que, a medida que crezca, nadie quede olvidado.
Made by Viable Food
Parmenas is built and maintained by Viable Food, a team dedicated to practical tools and cooperative food systems that work in real neighbourhoods.
Parmenas is self-hosted software that your cooperative runs under its own name and colours. When your board, staff, or treasurer wants a steady hand behind the scenes, we provide optional Remote Viable Food support covering initial server setup, migrating existing member and equity spreadsheets, automated off-site backups, and software updates. Viable Food is who provides support; Parmenas is the product.