Fresh, local produce on your doorstep
NEW SUNSHINE CO-OPERATIVE CIC LAUNCHED IN EAST END
A new Sunshine Co-operative CIC hopes to make it easier for people across the North East to access fresh, healthy, and local produce – encouraging consumers to put their money back into the local economy.
The Co-operative, which launched last month and is based at Eagle Building, High Street East, Sunderland, aims to promote healthy, local, organic, and sustainably grown and produced food, whilst also nourishing a sense of community between local growers, producers, and consumers.
Providing a diverse offering of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as sustainably sourced meat and products such as cheese, honey, and preserves, the co-operative sources as much of its produce as possible from local providers within Tyne & Wear, Durmovement ham, Northumberland, and Teeside.
Claire Wayman, founder, said: “Over recent years, the food industry has been mostly delocalised, with huge supermarket chains taking up the lion’s share of the market. This has caused a lot of closures in small businesses. However, there is a strong reaction happening against this, seeking to reinstate a pride in everything local and supporting local entrepreneurs.
“We felt that the local food was too important to ignore and the benefits could make a huge difference to our community.
“Who wouldn’t want to support local growers and producers to make extraordinary food products that we can all savour and enjoy?”
Having used local food co-operatives whilst living in various countries across the world, Claire and partner Wojtek Bozyk realised that a similar scheme could offer a whole host of benefits for individuals living in Sunderland and the surrounding area, as well as local producers and suppliers.
Wojtek said: “We felt that projects relating to the local food movement were mostly happening outside of the Sunderland area and, as residents of the city, we wanted to be able to access fresh, healthy, food that has been grown or produced in our local area.
“We are committed to playing our part in improving the area in which we live, both environmentally and economically.”