Category: Supplier Spotlight

Our customers have been enjoying  the fruits of  Kees and Alice from Stroud Micro Dairy’s labour for some time now.  They have revolutionised the dairy farming process, working on a small and personal scale with the happiness and wellbeing of the cows being paramount to the operation.

Stroud Micro Dairy are a small community-supported dairy farm in Stroud. They produce delicious, fresh and local raw milk, yoghurt and kefir.  They’re based in a sunny vale overlooking Stroud, at Oakbrook farm (Just down the road from our Cheltenham store)

The micro dairy farm to regenerate soils using a method of farming that revolves around biology, life and the sun; to positively impact their soils, animals, people and the nature that surround them!

Kees & Alice, Stroud Micro Dairy founders.

Happy and healthy cows produce healthy milk.  Alice & Kees take good care of their cows, which means the milk they give us is delicious, nutritious and safe to drink unpasteurised. Because the only processing the Dairy do is to strain and chill their cows’ milk, it retains all its natural goodies – including vitamins, proteins, essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes and minerals. And we think it tastes a whole lot better this way too!

We know you will enjoy their products as much as our store customers do!

 

 

 

We’ve stocked Jess’s Ladies milk and dairy products at our Cheltenham store for as long as we’ve been running, and with very good reason!  Jess runs a multi-award winning local dairy which has been in her family for  generations, producing the highest quality dairy products the traditional way.  Un-homogenised and as nature intended it to be, the taste of Jess’s Ladies milk is the true taste of caring dairy.

“We make it personally…

My family have been farming at Hardwicke Farm in gorgeous Gloucestershire for 3 generations.

We’ve always looked after our land and the wildlife whilst producing the highest quality organic pastures for our herd of 80 beautiful cows.

We know ‘the Ladies’ all by name and we milk them personally everyday to ensure they’re a happy, healthy bunch. Because we believe that happy, healthy cows make better milk.

In our view nature is best so we do not homogenise our milk, preferring to leave all its nutrients as nature intended.  And because ‘Jess’s Ladies’ graze on luscious organic pasture, our milk typically contains higher levels of natural omega 3.

The Ladies, my family and I love producing and bottling milk on the farm – and we hope you love our milk too!”

Jess Vaughan

We stock the full Jess’s Ladies range from their new kefir to double cream, buttermilk through to Special Breakfast milk.  With deliveries from the dairy to our store twice a week we can always supply you with the freshest batch available.

https://www.naturalgrocery.co.uk/product/jesss-ladies-kefir-organic/

https://www.naturalgrocery.co.uk/product/jesss-ladies-cultured-buttermilk-organic/

https://www.naturalgrocery.co.uk/product/jesss-ladies-organic-luxurious-natural-yoghurt-unhomogenised/

Once again, another small scale local producer located in a neighbouring town to our Cheltenham store.  With sustainability at the core of their production, their values set them aside for many of the smaller breweries and we recognise the importance of that.  The brewery meets Soil Association organic standards so you can drink happily in the knowledge that your chosen tipple is of the highest quality.

With multiple beers in the range winning a prestigious and illustrious Great Taste Award, whether it’s bitter, ale, stout or regular beer you like, Stroud have got you covered!

About Stroud Brewery:

Brewery founder Greg studied Marine Biology (and drank a lot of beer) at Swansea University.  After graduating he worked for various conservation organisations in the UK and overseas.  After 2 years VSO, as Project Manager for a conservation project in Nigeria, Greg travelled for two years researching the traditional alcoholic beverages of Africa – how they were produced and the social context they were drunk in.

This was with some support from Guinness Brewing Worldwide, and subsidised by the updating of sections of the Rough Guide to Africa. Returning to the UK, Greg settled in Bristol and began working for the Soil Association, principally as project Co-ordinator for the Cultivating Communities project. Working for the Soil Association developed Greg’s interest in the importance of organic.

Greg’s interest in sustainable development, community creation and beer came together.  He had a vision to develop a thriving, dynamic and resilient enterprise, recognised for its ethos of sustainability and producing a nationally respected range of cask ales and organic bottled beers.

With a family on the way Greg and his partner Jade decided to leave Bristol and find somewhere lovely to raise a family and set up an organic brewery.

“Stroud Brewery was established in 2006. Just 2 months later, its launching brew, Budding, was awarded Champion Beer of Gloucestershire at the Cotswold Beer Festival and it remains our most popular beer.  The business has grown steadily and now employs over 20 people.

To our surprise, Stroud Brewery outgrew the original site in all areas: the brewery, office and tap. We could never have imagined this 6 years ago.

We recently constructed a brand new building on a disused car park just 100 metres away, purpose built for our growing needs. It provides more space for the brewery, allowing an increase in our production capacity, a larger office and a canal-side tap with beautiful views of the Golden Valley. It’s an exciting time for us.

Craft breweries are opening up all over the UK.  Each have their own story to tell but we are pretty sure that none are quite like ours” – Greg Pilley – Stroud Brewery Founder.

Check out the Stroud range here:  https://naturalgrocery.co.uk/?s=stroud+brewery&post_type=product

Another local supplier who we have worked closely with for over a decade.  With a roster of multi-award winning cheeses it’s no wonder Simon Weaver is hugely popular both in store and online.

The Weavers have been farming in the Cotswolds for three generations and in the South West of England since before 1570!  They proudly follow a traditional method of organic farming and place great store in caring for land and animal welfare.  Their closed organic herd enjoy a forage-based diet, and their milk production is not forced.  The Weavers know that if their girls are happy, their cheeses will taste great too.

The farm (11 miles from our Cheltenham store) is ideally suited for growing grass, and during the spring and summer the clover-sown meadows deliver all their promise.  Bordered by the River Dikler, the Fosse Way and the village of Lower Slaughter, the land is made up of low-lying river meadows that have never been intensively farmed.  On the higher ground, nitrogen-rich clover meadows create ideal grazing conditions for the winter months.

The Weaver’s herdsman Richard has spent his entire life working with cattle, with over 42 years experience in the field.  He is on first name terms with each of the 250 cows on the farm, and can often be found chewing over the latest gossip with the girls as they wander around the farm.

It’s this dedication to tradition and high standards which keep the Weavers winning awards and producing superb cheese.  We often have in-store tastings of the Simon Weaver range, keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter Twitter for tasting dates…

https://twitter.com/NaturalGrocerys

https://www.facebook.com/The-Natural-Grocery-Store-330739750353506/

Back again with another local supplier, Tanya (the founder of Kalya) can often be found in our store giving demonstrations of her range of natural health products.  We’ve always liked the simplicity of the products, the ethos behind Kalya and the knowledge and love for aromatherapy that  Tanya has.

Kalya combines the subtle power of aromatherapy with a passion for natural health and well-being for the whole family.

Making use of only the finest locally-sourced essential oils and creams, the Kalya range supports the maintenance of good health.  Cream-based Kalya products use a Soil Association approved organic cream base free from parabens and petrochemicals that absorbs beautifully into the skin. Oil-based Kalya products use almond oil with wheatgerm as a completely natural preservative. These products are available throughout the UK online and in selected retail outlets.

Kalya is a Sanskrit word meaning “Healthy, well and able” and there is no better way to sum up the ethos and drive behind Kalya.  Kalya was founded in 2008 by Tanya De Leersnyder after running a successful therapeutic, aromatherapy massage practice for 12 years. The product range, designed to help families address some common conditions, has grown from custom blends she developed for her clients.  Skin Soothe, one of Kalya’s bestsellers, was a result of Tanya’s search for a natural, gentle, effective cream to use on her daughter’s eczema.

The ethos behind Kalya is all about the purity of ingredients, a passion for gentle, natural healing and beautiful smelling and looking products.

News on future Kalya in-store demos will appear on our social media, make sure you follow us to keep up to date.

https://twitter.com/NaturalGrocerys/

https://www.facebook.com/The-Natural-Grocery-Store-330739750353506/

Back once again for supplier spotlight, this time it’s a company we’ve been using for as long as we’ve been in business. They are based in Cirencester, just a few miles up the road from our Cheltenham store. Just Wholefoods have an exclusively vegetarian range spanning from cute sweets to authentic falafel mixes.

Just Wholefoods were way ahead of their time in the late 80’s and are still sticking to their tried and tested ideology to this day.

“Since 1989 we have been at the heart of making top-notch vegetarian food. We are proud of our organic heritage and use only the best ingredients to bring you delicious and nutritious grub. All our products are plant-based, fun and easy to prepare, and full of natural goodness. We’re not just an alternative – this is food for everyone.” – Just Wholefoods.

We love the fact that here are NO artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives in any of the range, just real ingredients to make real meals.

We love this simple but effective approach to food and we think you will too.

With accolades from the Great Taste Awards, highly commended at the Veggie awards and at the BOOM (Best Of Organic Market) food awards you’re in safe hands with Just Wholefoods.

Have a look at the products we can offer you from the Just Wholefoods range here…

https://naturalgrocery.co.uk/?s=just+wholefoods&post_type=product