Green Valley Grocer: How a co-operative in trendy village of Slaithwaite works with local farmers and growers

Jane said the inspiration for the community effort that brought about Green Valley Grocer was when it looked like the Colne Valley village was about to lose what had been a privately-owned business.

“Two or three people in the village could see that with a little bit of planning and a great deal of dedication, plus a serious amount of fundraising to buy the business, the way people would call crowdfunding today, the shop could be saved and run as a members’ co-operative.

“The official name is Slaithwaite Co-operative Limited. The business trades as Green Valley Grocer. It was formed in 2009 with the key aims of ensuring it was financially viable, socially useful and environmentally responsible.

“Since that time Green Valley Grocer has become a hub of the village, but more than anything it has encouraged people to think about food and where it comes from, even if some are only coming in for an apple or a carrot.”

Jane said the key person in the ongoing success has been the lady at the helm.

“Carol Wood was employed in the original business prior to our community venture. Her skills are outstanding. Carol knows the right produce that is required for her market, the seasons, the customer profiles.

“It was Carol being in place that gave the co-operative confidence that the new system would work.

“I worked alongside Carol in the shop at one point and it proved an extremely useful insight for me in a number of ways, particularly in understanding the pinch points you get in a year and how Carol works with the customers.”

Jane also believes that Slaithwaite and the Colne Valley provide their own impetus for the promotion of local raw materials and local products that emanate from what is around.

“Historically, this has always been an area where produce is made and where raw materials are changed into food and non-food products and then distributed.

“The mills are here from the days when wool was manufactured into all kinds of products, which they still are with the likes of Olicana and McNair. The hills around here have the cows and goats that produce the milk, cheese and soap; and the beef from the Garside farming family that goes into another local favourite, Rumpus Burgers.

“I was born and bred on a farm in North Staffordshire, so I see the taking of raw materials and making them into something else as being something really special.

“That’s the recipe for Green Valley Grocer’s success. Customers can come and buy the raw materials in terms of quality local food to turn them into quality meals that help get them into good eating habits.

“Carol and those who work with her are all very knowledgeable about what is stocked. At Christmas you’ll see sticks of raw horseradish and the question most asked by people is what exactly do they do with it? Carol and her team always have someone on hand who can explain.

“We are so lucky to have what we’ve got in this valley and in Slaithwaite. We have a string of independent shops and co-operative outlets including two artisan bakers and a butcher’s shop. They all work well together.

“If someone said for instance that they wanted half a pound of roast ham to go with their Green Valley Grocer order then Carol or one of her team would go to Andy and Helen (butchers) and they would have the order over to Carol within the hour.”

Jane said Green Valley Grocer is also as much about supplying the local businesses with raw materials as it is supplying individual village customers.

“Handmade Bakery, alongside the canal, and Roger’s Bakery both purchase produce from Green Valley Grocer as do many more.

“As a board, we are always considering what should be the next logical step. To some extent the pandemic slowed that process down, our business trade slowed down but home deliveries shot up.

“We’d had thoughts of starting to make our own soup but then we stuck to our principles of being a supplier rather than a producer. We realised we were better off selling vegetables to others who make soups and supply customers with what they make. It is all about our community co-operating with each other.”

Jane said that the co-operative method is something that is now taken beyond purely the day-to-day business of the shop and is embraced by all of those involved.

“I absolutely love the shop and I am very proud to be associated with it. We have local suppliers who come to talk about their produce and run sampling evenings. Shaw’s Pickles of Huddersfield and Neil Briggs of Pole Moor have both visited.

“Neil explained to us about how he managed to turn his dairy farming business around by rethinking what they were doing and the different businesses they supply today.

“But our meetings go further than just food. We also recently had Craig Grimes of Experience Community give a talk about how important the countryside is and how without it we wouldn’t have growers and farmers.”

Jane said she is as proud of Slaithwaite as she is proud of Green Valley Grocer. “We have a wonderful village with the canal coming right through the centre. We were voted seventh most popular village in the country recently.”