A new era in food shopping is about to start in Cheltenham with the opening of Whole Foods Market. Weekend discovers how the new store will give a boost to several local producers.
WHOLE Foods Market has taken London by storm; now people in Gloucestershire can see what the excitement is about when the company opens its first English store outside the capital on Wednesday.
This is a shop that redefines the word 'supermarket': a place where customers can eat, drink, cook and learn more about natural food, drink, health and beauty.
Good quality food lies at the heart of what Whole Foods Market offers and here shoppers can find everything from craft beers and British cheeses to freshly grown lettuces and bread baked in the in-store oven all under the same roof.
This is a shop that has something for every situation, whether it's creative cooks looking for something special for a dinner party or a busy worker looking for a complete meal prepared earlier the same day that they can simply put in the oven when they get home.
Whole Foods Market takes pride in sourcing the finest quality food and drink available, which is why its search for new products always starts on the doorstep. Its buyers firmly believe that the countryside surrounding its stores has to be the obvious place to start looking for the fresh, quality products that customers expect. At the same time, supporting local producers is one of the key values that define the US-based company.
More than 20 farmers, growers, brewers and manufacturers from Gloucestershire and surrounding counties will benefit from the opening of the new store at the Gallagher Retail Park in Cheltenham.
They include farmers Tim and Caroline Wilson, who have been producing organic meat at Adey's Farm in Breadstone for 18 years.
The couple, who will initially send their Aberdeen Angus beef and Suffolk and Hampshire lamb to Whole Foods Market, are excited at the prospects for the future and have been especially impressed by the way in which the company has encouraged staff to learn as much as they can about the meat.
"We have been passing on cooking hints to them and they have already asked us for recipes," said Caroline.
Chipping Campden-based vegetable growers WR Haines are no strangers to Whole Foods Market, having supplied their London shops for some time, and are delighted that local people will now be able to buy their produce as well.
"Whole Foods is a totally different way of shopping," said fourth-generation grower Martin Haines. "We pride ourselves in growing good produce and it's nice to see it being sold with pride."
Gloucester-based Sarah Churchill was a chef working in prestigious restaurants before she set up her own preserves company The Artisan Kitchen.
She is delighted to have met the standards demanded by Whole Foods' rigorous selection procedure and that her range of unusually-flavoured jams will be appearing on its shelves.
"I make my preserves in small batches using fruit sourced as locally as possible," said Sarah, whose flavours include strawberry, apple and vanilla. "Selling through Whole Foods Market gives me prestige and exposure."
Stroud-based Winstones Ice Cream hopes that supplying the new Cheltenham store could lead to business with Whole Foods' London outlets in the future.
"We're delighted to be working with a company that supports local producers," said Tom Vear, whose family has been running the business for almost 90 years.
"We share a similar business ethos: we try and source locally and Whole Foods look to work with local suppliers.
"We think it's right that growing companies should be supporting smaller businesses, especially when those smaller businesses are making artisan products.
"It's a real point of difference."
