Bristol ethical food business Essential Trading will this Friday celebrate its 40th anniversary as a co-operative dedicated to vegetarian, organic, sustainable and ethical trading.
It now has an annual turnover of around £12m and employs around 85 people – making it one of the largest successful worker co-operatives in the UK and a far cry from its early days when it was viewed as operating in a highly-niche market.
Essential offers a trade cash-and-carry service from its Fishponds warehouse and delivers across Britain with its own fleet of vehicles. It has a free delivery service, international courier and own label service and can mix and pack to individual requirements. Over the past few years, it has boosted exports to European countries by 15% year on year.
When Essential needed a mortgage for its Fishponds site in the mid '90s, it came from a Belgina bank as UK lenders considered a co-operative selling wholefoods too risky a venture.
Subsequently, the co-op took on a mortgage with Bristol-based Triodos Bank which recently enabled the company to assemble a solar panel project. This is a new venture and within three years the mortgage itself will be paid off.
All its staff, suppliers and partners stick to strict ethical code of conduct and it chooses not to supply supermarkets, instead focusing on supporting independent health food traders.
A variety of themed activities and promotions will run throughout the year, culminating in a celebration in Bristol in September next year.
Marketing manager Eli Sarre said: “The last 40 years have seen the wholefood market grow exponentially.
“Back in the 1970s health food stores were novel and the foods they stocked relatively limited. But now, through education, a distinct rise in vegetarian and vegan diets, growth in free-from diets and the shift towards organic and ethical foods, we have a strong and thriving industry.”
Despite increased competition from supermarkets, Essential continues to supply only the independent health food trade in the belief that this will help retailers retain many unique lines that they know customers cannot find elsewhere.
It now offers more than 6,000 products as a wholesaler including 100-plus of its own Essential branded goods.
