Food Group
The Community Food Co-Op launched on Oct 22nd, with 12 households signing up on the night and more joining each week.
BENEFITS
The benefits of joining the Food Co-Op are both financial and social – as a group we’ll be saving approx 15% off retail prices on everything we order, and we aim to hold social events like recipe swaps, tasting sessions, cookery classes from both locals & masterchefs, and more.
JOIN
We’re open to people in and around the Chessels area, but there’s no limit to numbers – we’re hoping to create a viable alternative to the corner store we lost following the Post Office closure.
Contact us to join up, place your order & start saving.
PRODUCTS
Initially we are buying dried goods in bulk from Essentials, thus saving money & supporting local business (Essential is also based in Bristol). We also now offer juices from Lovely Drinks (Barrow Gurney) and bread from Mark’s Bread (North Street, Southville). We intend to add local organic vegetables, milk, cheese, fish & meat as we grow. Longer term we intend to develop into a general buying co-op, buying whatever we need in bulk, be it food or solar panels.
NEWS
Watch the website & the shop door for details or contact us to join, and receive news & event alerts.
FAQs
Size selections
Since this is probably a first bulk order for many people (including me!), and because Essential offer a lot of goods from different suppliers, I have calculated the price per kg (or price per litre) wherever I could, and then selected the best value offering of staple items in a smaller and larger size.
Ethos behind ‘Local / Organic / Fairtrade’ selections
I’m using quite a complex system to choose which items to list where there are several suppliers / brands for a single product item – where I can get a local (BS3 / Bristol) item, that goes into the catalogue as the preferred option; for items not available in Bristol but available through Essential, I favour items from the UK/Europe over those from a long distances; I then favour organic items over non-organic items; and then fair trade over non-fair trade.
Why not just list the cheapest of each item?
The reason for going for organic / fairtrade where possible is that due to the savings we are making they will still come out cheaper on the whole than a non-organic option in a retail store. However, since price is a key reason why we’re all part of a food group, where the price difference gets disproportionately high, I don’t opt for the organic / fairtrade product.
What if I want a larger quantity?
Contact me at food@thespacebs3.org with the quantity you’re interested in, and I will let you know if they can supply it – if they can then I will order it for you in the current order, and add the item to the catalogue for the next order. I have not included many products at the 25kg size initially, to see how we go, but in the long term these will represent the greatest savings.
What if I want to split / share an item only offered in a large quantity?
Contact me at food@thespacebs3.org, and before the next order goes out I will send round one further email, asking if others are interested in sharing large quantities that have been suggested / requested – if we can get enough people together for an item, then the item will be ordered and the cost of your share added to your total. It will then be offered as a group purchase in the main catalogue for the future.
What if I regularly buy something that I’d like to add to the catalogue?
Contact me at food@thespacebs3.org and let me know which item(s) you’d like added (sticking to food for the moment). I will let you know if I can get hold of it for you, and if I can the item will be ordered and added to the catalogue for the future.
What if I have tried the item listed, and find another brand or type tastes better / cooks better?
Contact me at food@thespacebs3.org with details about the item you prefer, and the item you’d like it to replace. The item can either be added or substituted, depending on the group’s overall preferences, and within the ethos of local, organic, fairtrade preferences.
How can I get an item listed by a local producer?
Contact me at food@thespacebs3.org with details about the item(s) and contact details for the producer and I’ll contact them to see if we can list them in future catalogues.
Further questions / suggestions?
Contact me so we can try and find you an answer and add to these FAQs
