Vegan Environmental Awards 008
Organised by Yaoh
Sponsored by VeggieVision
Inspired by PeaPR
Nominations
8 Best Vegan Distributors
These distributors are responsible
for handling the bulk of the
vegan staples that sell in
independent health stores across
the UK, including all the beans,
seeds, pulses, nuts and grains
you could ever envisage. Most
of them started in the 70's
and they've grown into multi
million pound turnover operations
without ever losing their ethics,
integrity and honesty. Indeed,
several are still workers co
operatives.
- Rainbow - Norwich: The
amiable and much respected
Canary's devotee Richard
Austin heads a team of willing
and dedicated players that
take care of all things vegan
and healthy in the South
East, especially East Anglia.
Rainbow Wholefoods started
life way back in the day
(early 70's) and has thrived
ever since. A string of excellent
festivals in the area in
the early 80's (The Albion
Fairs and Rougham Tree Fair,
which was stupendous, plus
the legendary Argyle street
in Norwich, a non stop year
round festival by all accounts)
helped ensure a growing demand
for beans and lentils throughout
the east of the UK, and it
is possible even that the
term 'Rainbow Lentil' is
derived from this time and
space too. Well worthy. http://www.rainbowwholefoods.co.uk/
- Queenswood - Bridgwater: Brilliant
family owned outfit that
covers the South West and
Wales in the main, recently
moved to a bigger site in
Somerset to keep up with
demand. Right nice fella
Alan Baker is the man seemingly
in charge, and between this
smashing group they are a
hall mark for efficiency,
friendly service and good
attitude in the trade. Regularly
win awards for their excellent
stands at trade shows too,
they really know how to display
their Wholefoods and make
even the most mundane pulse
and bean come alive to a
myriad of colours and textures.
Beautiful people in this
firm and a big shout out
to their Bristol area driver
Ian who is top dollar and
regularly blocks off the
Lower Redland road every
fortnight whilst we load
kit on his truck. Splendid. http://www.queenswoodfoods.co.uk/
- Suma - Yorkshire: Another
firm with its roots firmly
in the hippy daze of the
early 70's, where rumour
has it that a fella called
Reg started Suma by lugging
a few sacks of Jumbo Oats
around the Dales. Now turning
over 25 million, all veggie,
mostly vegan, loads of organic
and Fair Trade too. Cover
most if not the whole of
the UK, with thousands of
products listed, an absolute
godsend for the Independent
Wholefood store that is able
to order loads of products
through just one or two distributors.
That's how the trade works.
Suma, like Infinity and Essential,
are a workers Co-Operative,
meaning they own themselves.
Praise in abundance for this
crew. http://www.suma.co.uk/
- Infinity - Brighton: Blinding
bunch based down in Brighton
with a huge warehouse as
well as retail shop and Café.
Supplying the South, South
East, London and beyond as
well as stretching to Ireland
and abroad, with a massive
fan base spread across the
trade for their cutting edge
kit as well as impeccable
service. Always a smile from
this gang, very popular with
everyone. Their retail side
of things, Infinity Foods
in North Laines, has recently
doubled in size and was voted
Best Independent Wholefood
Store in the 007 awards,
an accolade that sits right
up there with the Observer
award they won too. No one
ever moans about Infinity
Foods, and they steal the
top honours time and again
for manners and attitude.
Praised and loved by all. http://www.infinityfoods.co.uk/
- Essential - Bristol: The
business when it comes to
distributing vegan products
across the UK. Massive warehouse
in Fishponds sees 12 million
plus a year travel across
the country to find its way
into your pots and pans.
Many legends work beneath
the Essential flag and thousands
of vegan items are packed
and stacked each day, with
hardly a mistake made. Their
Co op status ensures that
they decide where the profits
go, and many good causes
in both Bristol and beyond
have benefited from their
altruistic and generous nature.
Time and again Essential
has dug deep to support both
the individual and the community,
and they are far better than
either of Bristol's footie
teams could ever suggest - although
that may change as Rovers
establish themselves comfortably
in league 1 (?) and City
unbelievably mount a respectable
challenge for the premiership. http://www.essential-trading.co.uk/
- Highland Wholefoods - Scotland: Tight
knit team of dedicated individuals
who traverse the north of
Scotland keeping the shelves
stacked with loads of healthy
vegan kit. Really nice people
run this outfit and Scotland
is a proud of Highland Wholefoods
as they are of James McFadden- high
accolades indeed. A co op
since they started in 1989,
Highland also distribute
a large number of organic,
gluten free and Fair Trade
items too, ensuring plenty
of healthy alternatives to
more traditional local fayre
such as haggis and Battered
Mars Bars. Stunning, time
after time. http://www.highlandwholefoods.co.uk/index.html
- Marigold - London: Busy
outfit perched on the edge
of the Kings Cross metropolis
in North London, turning
loads daily. Patrick is still
the driving force behind
this one, and Marigold not
only distribute across London
and the South East, they
also deliver their own brand
of vegan bouillons, gravies
and completely legendary
Braised Tofu, which features
every year in the Bristol
Vegan Fayre cookery demos
area as Julie from Yaoh demonstrates
the art of making a supreme
vegan.Sunday/xmas dinner. http://www.marigoldhealthfoods.com/
- Community
Foods - London: This
is actually the biggest of the
lot, with a massive turnover
somewhere in the region of everyone
else put together. Peter from
Community is still largely at
the helm of this streamlined
operation that imports and distributes
huge volume of organic dried
fruit, nuts, seeds, pulses and
grains especially, including
the hugely popular Crazy Jack
range of dried fruits. Big operation
matched by big hearts with support
in all the right places, and
their feet firmly on the ground.
Another splendid example of you
can make it big without sacrificing
your integrity. http://www.communityfoods.co.uk/
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