Trading since 1971, Essential Trading is one of the largest worker co-operatives in the UK, and a proud pioneer of the wholefood market. Essential Trading wholesales, manufactures and distributes vegetarian wholefoods across the UK and beyond and was delighted to record unprecedented expansion last year. Essential’s Eli Sarre commented:
“2015 was an exciting year for Essential with sales hitting a record £16m, having increased annual turnover by more than £1m. We also expanded our site in Bristol, with several new purpose-built office spaces, a new washroom with shower facilities, and a canteen which will all significantly improve working conditions as well as improving energy efficiency due to better insulation and low energy LED lighting. We have also increased our fleet of vehicles, allowing us to increase our number of regular nationwide deliveries.”
Fully accredited since the origination of Organic and Fairtrade licensing, Essential packs commodities like rice and nuts at the purpose-built facility in Bristol. After significant investment, the co-operative has also built a second production line to accommodate this hugely successful side of the business – Essential has seen a 50% increase in pre-pack sales in the last 5 years including a 15% rise in 2014. The new production line includes a feed hopper, multi-head weigh machine, bagging machine, metal detector, weigh checker, rotary table and finally a boxing machine, a combination of which will give the business greater flexibility and capacity.
Sarre explains: “We pack a huge range of different products on our machine, approximately 300 at present. The current packing cycle for our machine is 3 months. We have to factor in bulk availability and allergens and we must follow rigorous cleaning schedules. Having the second production line will allow us to respond to customer demand, whilst continuing to adhere to allergen procedures and stringent production standards. We will have both our machines running within the 3 month plan so we can be far more responsive. We aim to improve our service levels and product availability, and produce a more cohesive range”.
The Essential brand itself includes around 900 product lines, and contains no artificial colours, flavours or modifiers. Everything is traceable, wholesome, packed with goodness. The range is packaged in bold, bright and distinctive designs that are full of character. Passionate about nutrition and taste, the emphasis at Essential is on pure, healthy food and ethically assured fairly-traded products you can trust. The priority is authentic, top quality ingredients bursting with flavour. It is these pure ‘free from’ products and devilishly tasty discoveries that give the Essential brand its distinct and very vibrant personality.
“As a co-operative, we have always had a strong belief in doing things our own way; the company is entirely owned and operated by its workers. Essential Trading has a history of sticking to this ‘consciously different’ ethos. For example, the range offers a 100% vegetarian/vegan and GMO-free guarantee, and the worker co-operative supports small producers and independent retailers, never selling to supermarkets”.
Essential Trading specialises in ethically produced, organic, Fairtrade and ‘free from’ food sourced from all corners of the globe. The worker co-operative is particularly interested in provenance and sustainability. By collaborating with some of the finest brands and producers, including co-operatives, Essential has put together an outstanding selection of ethical alternatives and health food products.
Essential Trading also wholesales over 400 other brands including exclusive artisan ranges and superfood health heroes. With over 5,500 lines of healthy options, quality nutrition and sustainable products - 80% of which are certified organic – this is food you can have faith in. Essential Trading takes away all the hard work of sourcing authentically natural, flavoursome, sustainable food.
www.essential-trading.coop / +44 117 958 3550 / sales@essential-trading.coop / @EssentialFoods