A food co-op is a simple system through which customers access fresh fruit, salad and vegetables on a weekly basis at wholesale prices. Local produce is accessed as much as possible, quality and price permitting. Some farmers supply direct through food co-ops. The co-ops provide “bags” of fruit, vegetables or salad to customers at a fixed price. The supplier chooses the selection of fruit and vegetables according to what is in season and what offers best value for money that particular week. The supplier delivers the produce, in bulk, to the co-op. Customers order and pay in advance so there is no wastage. The co-op makes no profit and all the money taken goes directly to the supplier. Cash is paid on delivery.
The RRU have helped set up and support approx 300 food co-ops across Wales and it is expected that this number will continue to increase.
Success stories have sprung up all over Wales. Here are just a few:
Riverside
In their first six months from June 2006 Riverside Food Co-op provided
a total of 1,885 bags of fresh produce to people in the local community.
This is an average of 72.5 a week with a mixture of fruit, vegetable
and salad bags.
By June 2007, they had grown from strength to strength and were presented with a Food Standards Agency ‘AFAL’ (Awards for Food Action Locally) Award.
Due to the diverse cultures within the area, the volunteers and customers come from all backgrounds with the food co-op helping bring them together. The food co-op also accepts bulk orders to serve community groups, celebrations and larger families.
Volunteer Alka Burbide - “I really enjoy doing the food co-op and look forward to going there every week. It promotes healthy eating at affordable prices for the community who do not want to go to the supermarket and buy everything. It brings the nationalities together and we exchange all our different recipes. It is a social gathering where we are all friends.”
FEAST - North East Wales
FEAST was formed out of a group of local residents who have been meeting
weekly at Leeswood Community Centre since January 2005 to support
each other with weight loss. Since the group started to meet, over
200 people in the local area have enrolled at the group, many also
bringing their children, partners and other family members with them.
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the whole family, we
changed our emphasis to following the Eat Well guidelines in Autumn
2008, when we then also opened the food co-op. Having the food co-op
has widen our appeal to the community as non-weighing members are
welcomed in. Groups from the community have been among some of those
who place joint orders, for example the doctor’s surgery employees,
the local shop employees and the local children’s nursery. On
a weekly basis we have consistently had 20-30 bags of fresh produce
ordered which is delivered from Husons Produce, a local farm in Hawarden.
As well as a free weigh at the group there have been activities such
as cookery demonstrations from the chef lecturer at Deeside College,
links with Flintshire Walkabout and line dancing available. We have
regularly held food taster evenings and each week the volunteers share
a healthy evening meal together. Finally, the group have a close connection
to Alderhey Children’s Hospital and have organised a number
of fund raising events. Last year we presented a cheque for £1000
to the cardiac care unit.
No. 1 Organic
Builth Wells High School Eco Committee started their Fruit & Veg
co-op in September 2009 with very specific ideas about who they wanted
as their supplier. They tried two organic producers & finally
decided on Organic Revolution from Kington partly because they already
came to Builth Wells to deliver to other organisations.
They sold the £4.50 fruit & veg bags initially to staff only but in the second term expanded to include an office building near the school. A lot of the produce is grown by Organic Revolution or neighbouring farms with the minimum being imported, as the students were looking at all aspects of food production this was very important.
The students sort the produce, which is delivered in bulk, into bags, weighing & counting, & liaise with customers to deliver & collect new orders. It has been very popular with students who give up their break period to help with sixth former who leads the project.
Food Co-ops and Fruit Tuck Shops in
South West London
The RRU ran a three year project in Fulham to develop Community Food
Co-ops and School Fruit Tuck Shops. The project was funded by the
North Fulham New Deal for Communities (NDC) Partnership. Many of the
food co-ops and fruit tuck shops continue to operate after the project
has finished.
One of the RRU’s most successful church run food co-ops started at St Andrew’s Church in Fulham Fields. The co-op attracted people from the local Caribbean community, nearby sheltered accommodation and a pre-school play group. Fruit and vegetable orders were usually over £100 per week and the produce was delivered directly from market traders in the North End Road. Co-op volunteers attended the NDC’s Citizen Panel and Father Martin, who oversees the food co-op, was proud when the food co-op helped St Andrew’s to win the Church Times Green Award.
The Fruit Tuck Shop at Sir John Lillie Primary School in Lillie Road is run by the School Council during the morning break and also after school on Thursdays. For 20p pupils can buy a piece of fruit instead of eating unhealthy snacks. Profits made cover free fruit for the School Council volunteers and occasional free tasting of unusual fruits for the whole school. Also, the Council hope to offer a “loyalty” card with free fruit benefits. Head teacher Sue Hayward supported the idea from the start and said: “We are very keen to make this work and giving it to the School Council as a focus gives our children more control over the environment and lives, both in and out of school”.
Catwg Primary School, South West Wales
Catwg Primary School near Swansea have been running a successful food
co-op since the beginning of 2007. They have made strong links with
farmer Brian Jefferys and have visited his farm to see the vegetables
he supplies being grown. Lisa , who oversees the school co-op, says
"Having a food co-operative at Catwg Primary has provided a rich
and enjoyable learning opportunity ".
You can meet Lisa and the pupils from Catwg Primary on our DVD.
Husons Farm Produce, Hawarden
Husons is a 14-acre, family run, mixed farm in Hawarden, Flintshire.
They follow “old fashioned” principles with minimum use
of pesticides. In 2005 they took over supply to three food co-ops
and now supply approximately 65 throughout the North Wales area. Alan
Huson remembers his grandfather predicting that, one day, there would
be a return to the “ancient”, almost forgotten, methods
of farming combined with supplying locally.
Alan says that “Supplying in bulk direct to individual co-ops cuts out the middleman so that we all feel the financial benefits. I enjoy selling direct to the public. The feedback is very satisfying. I believe that the co-op volunteers and customers like to deal direct with a grower too”.
Food co-ops now represent approximately 50% of Huson’s business.
Alan and his family plan their planting according to the demand of
the co-ops. As a result of the co-ops, they have big expansion plans,
which will help them to supply more of their own grown produce in
future.
Alan says “By ‘keeping it local’ I feel that I am
‘doing my bit’ for the local economy, while also promoting
healthy eating. We believe supplying co-ops could work for any family
farm that has easy access to the market and is not afraid of hard
work.”
From livestock to horticulture - Cae’r
Melwr Farm, Llanrwst
Alwyn and Emyr Hughes have farmed near Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley
for generations. With support from Farming Connect and The Centre
for Alternative Land Use (CALU), Cae Melwr Farm has recently diversified
into horticulture. They are keen to meet the changing demands of local
customers. They consider all potential local outlets for their vegetables
and fruit including farmers markets, a farm shop, a box scheme and
direct delivery to food co-ops in the valley and on the coast. The
farm continues to rear livestock, including pigs, and has recently
introduced a free-range poultry flock.
Cae Melwr trade with Clampitts, a local fruit and vegetable wholesaler, who supplies them with fruit from out of the area. Clampitts delivers Cae Melwr produce, combined with their own, to a number of other food co-ops in Conwy and Gwynedd. By working together in this way locally grown vegetables including potatoes, carrots, swedes, parsnips, sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, curly kale, broccoli, spinach, courgettes, runner beans and broad beans have been eaten and enjoyed by local people. During summer and autumn it is usual for 100% of the vegetables and salad supplied to co-ops in the area to be locally grown.
Cae Melwr Farm also works closely with Scilicorns Bakery who supply local bread to food co-op customers and share the delivery transport. This makes both businesses more sustainable and reduces food miles.
You can meet Alwyn on our DVD.
Farmer supplies school co-ops
Brian Jeffreys farms near Llanrhidian on the Gower. He grows a broad
range of vegetables and has links with other local farmers. He also
buys from out of the area to give himself a full range of fruit, vegetables
& salad but is always keen to find a new local source. Brian has
supplied community food co-operatives since 2004. He currently supplies
approx 20 in the Swansea area. Many are primary school based and help
schools to meet the requirements of the new ESTYN inspection framework.
Brian is much more than just a supplier. Through his work with food co-ops he promotes social, economic and environmental sustainability. He believes in the whole process and recognises the importance of his role. Brian will happily come out of the fields to spend the morning guiding a school group round the farm free of charge and informally teaches about local sourcing, food miles & the environment, healthy eating and understanding the food chain. It is clear when you see Brian working that this is more important than making money. Ironically, this attitude helps him to make money, which is nice to see.
You can meet Brian on our DVD.
In 2011 the RRU hope to introduce other local produce, such as meat, fish and bread, to some of the more established fruit and vegetable food co-ops. The following examples show how this might work
Aberporth Food Co-op – Local
Meat
The Food Co-op
In September 2009, with support from the Rural Regeneration Unit and
guidance from the Community Council, volunteers in Aberporth, Ceredigion
started a weekly Fruit and Vegetable Food Co-op. Anne and Jann, who
are Council members and also help run the co-op, secured Council funding
for tables and report back monthly on progress. Anne commented:
“The Food Co-op runs every Tuesday morning at the same time as the Country Market and the Credit Union. Other organisations such as Citizens Advice, Age Concern and the Community Police are also there. This means the Village Hall is a hive of activity”.
Local mum Cora is able to bring her 3 year old son to Ysgol Feithrin, which is next door to the Village Hall, and then help at the co-op. Mary, Rachael and Yvonne, as well as being volunteers, are able to benefit as customers too. Eddie & Val, who also help, were involved with one of the early Food Co-ops when they lived at Fern Hill, Mountain Ash in 2004. Eddie is keen to develop allotments in Aberporth and hopes that the produce will be able to link into the Food Co-op.
Local meat
Volunteers soon found there was also a demand for meat. Now local
farmers Elfed & Sheena from Golwyg yr Mor, along with their business
partner Paul, supply a broad range of meat from the farm, which is
only 3 miles away. Jann says “As soon as we started the Food
Co-op we were taking orders of over £120 for fruit & veg
each week. Customers asked about local meat so we looked into it.
We now take a similar amount for meat each week”
At Golwyg yr Mor Elfed does the farming (lamb, beef & pork), his wife Sheena runs a farm shop & makes preserves. Paul is a butcher, friend & business partner. 20 years ago Paul had a butchers shop in Aberporth. At the time there were 6 other independent retailers. Today there is only one general store. In 2005 Elfed asked Paul to teach him butchery. Paul says “We decided to stick to our own skills and go into partnership. To start with we attended several Farmers Markets. When we developed the farm shop we found Farmers Markets too time consuming and so concentrated our efforts more locally. This now includes supply to the Food Co-op in Aberporth, which is quick and easy for us and gives customers excellent value for money”.
At the Food Co-op, Golwyg yr Mor offer a choice of 3 pre-packed trays
of meat:
• Pack 1 @£5 has 2 lamb chops, 350g minced beef &
350g diced beef.
• Pack 2 @ £10 has 4 lamb chops, 2 pork chops, 450g minced
beef & 450g diced beef.
• Pack 3 @ £10 has 2 pork chops, 2 sirloin steaks, 450g
minced beef & 450g diced beef.
Customers order and pay for next week’s trays when they collect this week’s order. Golwyg yr Mor deliver at the start of the food co-op, leaving the trays in cold ice boxes. A Co-op volunteer gives out trays to customers and takes orders and payment for the following week. It runs totally separately from the fruit and vegetable co-op. Paul commented “Because we are at the Food Co-op every Tuesday, we get direct feedback from our customers and can respond accordingly. We also take individual orders on request, including turkeys for Christmas”.
As the Food Co-op starts to pack-up a volunteer phones Sheena who returns to collect the cold boxes & next week's orders & cash. Paul has been through the processes with the local Environmental Health Officer who approves the system.
Aberporth Food co-op volunteers and Sheena & Paul’s meat packs.
Aberporth Food Co-op – Local Fish
Fish
Following the success with meat and enquiries from customers, co-op
volunteers looked into locally caught fish and eventually linked up
with Welsh Sea Foods in Milford Haven. Chris Davies runs the business
in partnership with Sean Ryan. With WAG help, Chris was able
to buy back his family business from a large wholesaler & at same
time went into partnership with Sean. Sean is responsible for
the fishing and Chris for cleaning, packing & distributing.
First system tried
Welsh Sea Foods prepare £5 and £10 packs of fish for delivery
to Aberporth every Tuesday morning. Each pack is labelled and packed
in ice. Unlike the meat, they cannot say in advance what will be in
the packs. It depends what Sean and his skippers and crew on the 21
metre “Mercurius” and “Stephanie” bring into
the quay. They can however guarantee value for money, freshness and
taste. Chris makes his selection based on prices somewhere between
wholesale and retail, allowing for the time it takes to prepare the
packs.
Second system tried
Food co-op customers order what they want from a range of single variety
£5 packs on offer. Because customers order together they get
a really good deal that gives far better value for money than the
supermarkets. This system suited co-op customers who prefer to order
specific fish than have a lucky dip.
Chris explains: “Although we do buy in some of our fish from out of the area, giving us a broad range of fish throughout the year, locally caught fish makes better business sense for me. Through our close relationship with Aberporth Co-op, I know what customers want, so we all benefit”.
Sean explained that they fish approximately 3-12 miles offshore for 3-5 days at a time, sometimes for fish, sometimes for scallops. He says “As fuel prices continue to rise, it makes sense that fish landed in Wales are eaten as locally as possible. This keeps the cost down and the fish fresher, while reducing food miles, which is good for the environment. We are also part of the UK’s Responsible Fishing Scheme”, which is similar to the land-based “Farm Assured Scheme”.
Sean went on to explain that when the “Mercurius” and
“Stephanie” are busy during the scallop season and he
is landing less fish himself, he tries to buy direct from the Belgian
fleet that land their catch in Milford Haven and transport it to Belgium
by road. Although the fish is not welsh owned, it is landed in Wales
and some of it can still be eaten in Wales!
A framed photograph of “Mercurius” is on the wall at the
food co-op so customers can really see where their fish comes from.
Welsh Seafoods, Milford Haven - “From Sea to Supper!”
Ysgol Creuddyn Food Co-op – Local Bread
The Food Co-op
In 2009 Ysgol Creuddyn, a Secondary School in Penrhyn Bay, started
to run a food co-op. Running a co-op in a school helps the children
to apply key skills they learn in the classroom i.e. communication,
numeracy, problem solving, team working and helps them to develop
entrepreneurship and business enterprise skills, as well as benefitting
pupils, their families and staff by providing them with access to
high quality, affordable, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Sixth formers have approached the co-op to ask if they can become
customers and it is hoped that school governors will also use the
service. The school has a small vegetable garden, which is cared for
by Lyndsey who is very proud of what she grows. She is delighted that
the vegetables, fruit and salad for their food co-op come direct from
Cae Melwr Farm near Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley. Lyndsey says “When
I leave school I’d like a job in charge of growing”
and she hopes to do her work placement at the farm. Cae Melwr have
recently diversified from livestock into horticulture.
When the food co-op started they were lucky enough to receive a £150 grant from Conwy Council, which they used to print their own cloth bags. In the future they hope to link up with The Snowdonia Society to run a bag making workshop.
Local Bread
During the spring term 2010 customers expressed an interest in buying
local bread through their co-op. The food co-op linked up with Scilicorns
Bakery in Llanrwst. Co-op customers order and pay for a £4 bread
pack a week in advance in the same way they do with their fruit and
vegetables. Scilicorns Bakery makes up the bags. Each item is individually
wrapped and labelled and shows the retail price. By adding up the
retail prices in their bag customers can see the saving they are getting.
The retail price for a £4 co-op bag is approximately £5.60.
Scilicorns Bakery and Cae Melwr Farm are both based at Llanrwst and
work closely together to share the delivery transport. This makes
both businesses more sustainable and reduces food miles.
School Caretaker Mick is delighted with the range of produce he can now get from the school co-op. His bread lasts him all week because he puts some of it in the freezer. Mick says “Each week I get a bag of vegetables, fruit, salad and bread. It costs me £13, which is much less than I’d pay in the supermarket. On top of that I get a dozen free range eggs direct from the farm and It’s all delivered to my office door... can’t be bad!”
Manon, who oversees the co-op with help from two Teaching Assistants, hopes to take some of her pupils to Llanrwst to visit the farm and the bakery.
Scilicorns Bakery, The Creuddyn Food Co-op Team and a £4 bread sample
Any growers, or wholesalers, interested in developing links with community
food co-ops should contact:
Mark Jones – Welsh Produce Manager for the RRU
Telephone 01492 660263 or 07733 036585
eMail mark.jones@rru.org.uk
