It’s been a firm favourite with the county’s foodies for almost forty years and now Northampton’s wholefood retailer, Daily Bread, has just been given the national seal of approval, picking up a top award, writes Anna Murby.
The Bedford Road store, which has recently been given a funky new facelift, has just been named ‘Growing Co-operative of the Year’ in the 2017 ‘Co-op of the Year Awards’ after beating two other shortlisted finalists in an online vote.
For Appointed Manager, John Clarke, the accolade, which celebrates those with a turnover between £1m and £30m, is one that the whole team is sharing: “As a worker co-op, Daily Bread is owned and controlled by its employees so it’s not accountable to outside shareholders and instead is able to concentrate on its core values – providing good quality wholefoods for its customers” explained John.
“We’re also a proud to stock as much Fairtrade, organic and local produce as possible and, beyond the shop itself, we also donate to a number of local and international good causes, all of which must have helped to win the voters over!” he added.
The results of the online vote – which saw Daily Bread pitted against specialists in renewable energy solutions from Wales and a web development co-operative based in London – were announced at the Co-operatives Congress held in Wakefield on Friday 30th June to mark the end of Co-operatives Fortnight.
Before collecting the trophy, John and his team were also applauded for their efforts in supporting similar businesses to get off the ground, including its sister organisation, the Daily Bread in Cambridge, and by Unicorn Grocery in Manchester, both of which benefitted from their advice and mentoring.
Daily Bread originated from a church group at St. Peter’s Church, Weston Favell when its founders wished to develop a business to reflect their beliefs. The store opened in October 1980 and now, 37 years later, its additional popular online business sees it receive orders from right across the UK.
While its wholefood offering makes up the core of its sales, its 4000-strong product range also offers a host of environmentally-friendly cleaning products as well as herbal remedies, cruelty free body care, and cosmetics.
So with its trophy now on display in the new-look reception area, why is Daily Bread worth a visit? A question for the still-beaming John; “Well, whether you’re after some of our famous delicious breakfast cereals, mixed and packed in store, a face cream that’s not been tested on animals or even a pair of the softest socks made from bamboo, we can promise it all under one roof – along with the warmest of award-winning welcomes of course!”
For more details about Daily Bread, or to order online, please visit www.dailybread.co.uk or call 01604 621531.
For more information on the Co-operative Awards, please visit www.uk/coop/
