Comments from our Sourced Locally producers
Here are just some of the things they say about working with us:
Royston Owen, Royston’s Traditional Bakery in Long Stratton
“The support of the East of England Co-operative is invaluable to my business and it’s a fantastic organisation to deal with. They listen to what I say and take on board my ideas about which of my products will sell best in particular stores. It’s a team effort and we work together to achieve the best outcome for all of us; my bakery, the Society, and our customers.
“We started supplying one of the Society’s stores in Long Stratton with bread and cakes and now supply several other Co-op Food Stores in the area.
“The Co-op puts products into the stores that are closest to the producer and at just 192 steps my bakery can’t be much closer to the Long Stratton Supermarket!”
Roger Simons from the Taste of Suffolk (Craskes)
“We’re delighted that our link with the East of England Co-operative enables us to make Craskes Sausages more widely available. All of the Society’s stores across Norfolk sell them and we make the sausages to order. We deliver them direct to the stores within 24 hours of them being made.”
“Our local co-operative plays such a valuable role in our communities and supports the local economy through its local sourcing initiative, and we are very pleased to work with them.”
Ken Green, Ken Green Fish
“The support I have received from the Society means I have been able to employ new staff, and this in turn has helped me to obtain a grant for new equipment to help my business continue to grow.
“The relationship gives us stability and we are trading in a fair and proper way. They are the human face of supermarkets.”
Robert Strathern, Fairfields Farm
“In 2009 we started supplying just three East of England Co-op stores, now we supply our potatoes and crisps direct to stores across the whole of Suffolk and Essex.
“We are really pleased that our relationship with the East of England Co-op has proved so successful, and this has helped us to take on five new staff. It has proved very beneficial to our business as a whole, and secured jobs at a tough economic time.”
Colin Gray from Rossi Ice Cream
“We are pleased to supply East of England Co-op stores in Essex with ‘the Original’ Rossi Ice Cream. This award winning artisan ice cream is made using fresh milk to our own traditional recipe dating back to the 1930s.
“We started supplying just one Co-op store in Burnham-on-Crouch, and now have our products in more than a dozen stores across the county.
“We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with the East of England Co-operative Society in the future.”
Rick Sheepshanks, Stokes Sauces
“We supply our ranges of sauces, dressings, mustards, mayonnaises, relishes, chutneys and preserves to the East of England Co-operative Society’s stores in Suffolk and Essex. All our products are hand produced in small batches to carefully created and closely guarded recipes.
“We are proud to be associated with the East of England Co-op and to be part of their Sourced Locally initiative.”
Mark Bloss, Hollybush Farm Produce
“We are delighted to supply the East of England Co-operative, who share our values of great quality local food. The Society has become one of our biggest customers, which speaks volumes about the relationship we have with them.”
And, following invitation to join the Society on its stand at the Suffolk Show:
“Thank you for the opportunity you gave us at the Suffolk Show last week we were very pleased with the way it went and the fact that we were able to have a presence at our local county show is something we could not have achieved with our limited resources.
Please relay my message of thanks to the rest of the East of England Co-op team who were most friendly and helpful and it was great to be part of the Sourced Locally promotion.”
