Published: 15/07/2024
Honeysuckle are good friends, long-standing Suma customers, and a fellow worker co-op. They were established in Oswestry in 1978, making this month their 46th Birthday!
Please tell us about you, your customers, your staff and your business.
We are a small worker’s co-operative established in 1978 in the market town of Oswestry, Shropshire. We cater for vegetarians and vegans, alongside folks who love looking for specialist ingredients or those who have restricted diets due to intolerances etc. We sell organic fresh produce, dried goods and much more. Our customer base is quite varied and has remained pretty steady over the years; many have been with us since the start. Over the years, our co-operative numbers have expanded and contracted, but our magic number seems to be four with a few non-members as well.
What inspired you to open your shop?
We first opened our doors in 1978, with the original four members having moved here from Oxford. At the time co-operatives and wholefood shops were really gaining momentum under the broader counterculture movement. Many people left urban areas and set up homes in a rural idyll. After looking at a few potential properties they settled on the spot we still occupy. They took over the whole building – the shop on the ground floor whilst living in the flats above. They started families there and were living the good life!
What are you most proud of about your business and why?
Our longevity is a great source of pride. When our ‘birthday’ comes around we have a week-long celebration with gift bags and goodies for customers. 46 years is a long time to be in business and customers love recounting their memories of first visits to the shop either as adults or increasingly as children coming in with their parents (who now come in with their children). Being a co-operative is also something we’re very proud of. We still view it as radical in many ways and we offer decade’s worth of experience and knowledge. We are the alternative tourist information where we point people towards other interesting groups and businesses in the area. We also aim to keep up with the current environmental consumer trends and issues such as refills and plastic-free goods. Our longevity goes hand in hand with being a co-op: we probably wouldn’t still be in business if we weren’t!
What’s your local area/ high street like?
Oswestry is a border market town and its high street is doing well, as far as independent traders go. Some of our larger chain stores have closed, leaving some large empty premises but many small shops represent a diverse range of tastes. Being fairly rural the catchment for the town extends quite a way. We get customers traveling from North and Mid Wales, and from all over Shropshire too.
What sets your store apart from others in the area?
We’ve been certified by the Soil Association for the best part of thirty years. Despite our size, we offer a huge range of goods. Our focus has always been on ethical and environmental products, promoting things like organic, fair-trade, and hyper-localism for quite a while before other local businesses did the same. This model isn’t unusual to you at Suma and to your customers but was quite cutting edge at the time and still is in many respects. We also offer a great range of refills – from washing up liquid to shampoos and conditioners, we also have a wide range of organic loose-leaf teas. It’s great to see how much unnecessary waste we’re all avoiding now, some customers are doggedly sticking to their battered old bottles and refusing an upgrade … we must have saved the planet thousands of plastic bottles by now! Up until very recently we used to hand pack nearly all our dried fruits, nuts, seeds, flours, oats, herbs, and spices into at least three different sizes (we even used to make our own muesli and nut mixes!), it was a big decision to stop doing this but we couldn’t compete on price and we wanted to make our shop as reasonable as possible as costs go. We still pack a few things like oats and flour so we can provide for serious bread makers who want large bags.
How are you and your other local independent high street retailers fairing?
Pretty good as it goes! Tourism is on the rise and because the quality of the independents is so high the town is always fairly busy. The energy crisis did have an effect and sadly quite a few local businesses have closed but we still have some great places to eat and drink as well as buy nearly anything you’d need.
What kind of products can we buy in your shop?
Where to begin?! On top of the fruit and veggies, we sell fresh bread delivered daily, cupboard basics, tinned goods, loads of spices, essential oils, and vitamins. We offer refills for cleaning and body products, a wide range of teas and coffee, cheeses and vegan alternatives. At least 90% of our products are organic. We do a lot of special orders for customers if we don’t stock the exact product or brand they want. We also have an increasingly well-stocked freezer (Booja Booja ice cream – say no more…) and an exceptional selection of chocolate!!
What are the favourites at the moment?
We sell a great deal of Ecoleaf and Faith in Nature products, mostly as refills. We have a wonderful variety of local honeys, from up to twelve different suppliers at the height of the season. Jock’s Hot Sauce (another local legend!), Organic chocolate and olive oil are things folks come in especially to buy. Oats sell very well and Grumpy Mule coffee is always a winner. Our customers obviously have great taste!
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you and your business?
Forming a co-operative was the single most important thing the original members did. It has allowed different members to come and go whilst still keeping core values and ethics within the business. We all have an equal say in everything and we treat each other with respect and fairness. We would encourage anyone who is looking to set up a business to seriously consider the benefits of forming a co-operative. Co-ops support other Co-ops and we work with a number of them throughout the country. We’ve been Suma for forty years at least!
Forming a co-operative is still a radical act that shows that you aren’t prepared to work by the rules set by society at large and you are committed to working towards a better future.
Stay in touch with Honeysuckle Wholefoods
Instagram | Facebook