Our business was founded in the early 1970’s when it was fair game to refer to the founders as "bean munching tree huggers"! The company was established in a squat in London, buying wholefoods to service the budding health food consumer. Both the founders of the business and its customers were concerned about poor quality, highly processed foods, the use of additives and preservatives, the indiscriminate use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers in crop production, and the increasing use of "health food supplements". The company bought whole grains, dried fruit, nuts, pulses, herbs and spices from all over the world to service a small but growing industry of health food shops and manufacturers. Community buyers started to travel abroad - going to Turkey, India, China and many other markets to meet producer groups and processors. We talked to farmers and to those involved to get a real handle on how the food started its journey to the UK. Establishing direct links with farmers, packers and brokers helped build trust and understanding, and the result of these efforts was an improvement in quality and a slow change in methods of food production with some suppliers. The company’s reputation grew as Community buyers reached the places that others could not!
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