East of England Co-op raises a glass to Sourced Locally Fortnight

The East of England Co-op is running its annual Sourced Locally Fortnight to encourage customers to swap their named-brand groceries for local alternatives.

The initiative, which was first launched back in 2007, runs from 1st June until 15th June across selected food stores in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

The campaign commenced this year by toasting the variety of local suppliers with a food and wine pairing event, hosted by one of the East of England Co-op local English wine suppliers, Toppesfield Vineyard.  

Sourced Locally aims to promote producers who are based locally, giving customers more choice and the ability to keep money in the local economy. 

Over 100 producers who supply East of England Co-op stores across the region will see their brands promoted throughout the Fortnight. Thousands of products are available, ranging from fruit and vegetables, jams and chutneys, to meats, fish, pies, fruit juices and wines.

Roger Grosvenor, Joint Chief Executive at the East of England Co-op said: “This is a wonderful chance to celebrate that journey from field and farm to fork. 
“We have some fabulous offers in place which will hopefully encourage shoppers to try something new. Sourced Locally Fortnight is a fantastic opportunity for local producers to meet customers and talk about their journey.”

As part of Sourced Locally Fortnight, an All-Day Breakfast Roadshow will tour Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk. The roadshow will allow the public to taste the locally sourced bacon, sausages and burgers featuring in a specially created Breakfast Pack , costing £4 plus a free 4 pack of local eggs.

The breakfast roadshow will be touring the three counties throughout the Fortnight. To find out when and where it will stop off, click here.

Money off vouchers to redeem in store will also be handed out.

Local producers will also have the chance to meet customers and show off their produce through a whole calendar of in-store tasting events.

The award-winning Sourced Locally scheme has generated millions of pounds for the region since 2007, creating and protecting hundreds of local jobs. During last year’s Sourced Locally Fortnight, East of England Co-op customers spent just over £999,000 on locally sourced products; a 2.8% increase on 2017.

Roger Grosvenor added: “Swapping one thing in your basket for something local is a positive choice, as we are so lucky to have great-tasting, fresh food on our doorsteps. We hope our loyal customers can champion our local producers and help us break through the £1,000,000 mark for 2019.”