Our Sourced Locally initiative was founded back in 2007 following the discovery that South American asparagus was being sold in stores mere miles away from fields full of the British crop. We took action, and after partnering with local farmers sold a staggering 33,000 bundles in the first season.
Sourced Locally has gone from strength to strength. We work with supplier partners who stock our stores with a range of products; from fruit and vegetables, jams and chutneys, to meats, fish, pies, fruit juices and wines.
The key to the success of Sourced Locally is our unique relationship with each of our supplier partners. We believe that whilst profit is important to every business, organisations can do well and do good. We really care about our producers. We want to make sure they are treated as equal partners and that their businesses have a sustainable future.
Our Five Ps Policy
Before a product reaches our shelves it has to meet what our local sourcing team call The Five Ps test:
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The product must be profitable for the producer
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The product must be profitable for us
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The product must be the right price for the customer
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Our producers will be paid promptly and on time
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Our producers will receive professional support from food safety experts
Use of local ingredients
Where products are made from recipes using a variety of ingredients, we encourage our suppliers to use local ingredients and, if it’s not available locally, that they use British ingredients with as few food miles as possible.
Other products in the range use ingredients you simply cannot grow in this country, such as fruit, spices, chocolate, tea and coffee.
However, whilst the suppliers import their tea or coffee, it’s expertly blended – and in the case of coffee, roasted locally.
We carry out rigorous checks to ensure that the final product is produced and packed right here in East Anglia – in fact, we have our very own Product Standards and Safety Manager to ensure just that!