Thinking globally, acting locally

We are a small shop in a small town in the North of England, but our ethos is informed by thinking big - about our planet and its future.

Certified organic produce

Most of the products in our shop are certified organic. Organic certification is supervised in the UK by two bodies:

• Organic Farmers and Growers
• The Soil Association

Growers must comply with rigorous EU standards for organic produce. For a small grower, it costs about £500 to register plus an annual fee of around £500 and it can take several years to qualify.

Local producers

Local smallholders and farmers who grow using organic methods often cannot afford the certification process but we do stock their produce in our shop. We clearly label it as "very local" and we will always inspect any local grower before allowing them to supply us.

Ethical choices

We regularly review the products in our shop in the light of ethical considerations.
For example, successful organic brands are sometimes taken over by corporate multi-nationals, and the new owners do not necessarily share the ethical principles of their founders. We use the "Ethical Consumer Magazine's Product Guides" to help us make decisions about our stock.

Packaging

• We try to avoid over-packaged goods.
• Our milk is supplied in re-usable glass bottles.
• We use recycled paper and board for all our printed material.

Transportation

We try to keep this to a minimum by using local suppliers wherever possible.
All our veg box deliveries are made using our electric vehicle, so we are not adding to the emission problem in the valley bottom, and the most efficient route is calculated for each delivery round to minimise our overall impact.