Our Suppliers

Local Heros

LOG HOME FARM

Organic free-range eggs.

Alex & Mark Cooper have farmed organically at Log Home Farm in Solihull since 2005. Their Black Rock Hens have an extensive free range area all year round to allow natural behaviour and ensure quality eggs.

FOSSEWAY HONEY

Honey, jams & chutneys

Run by Chris Atkins, Honey Blossom Farm is the home of Fosse Way Honey and Beeswax Products. They are based in the Northern Cotswolds and tend over 300 beehives around farms in the area. Fosse Way Honey contains a diverse range of nectar due to the mixture of woodlands, farmlands and garden plants used for forage. They use sustainable practices to protect the bee's wellfair and fully utilise all the hive products.

GREENTEAM

Organic fruit and vegetables

Paul Chapman has a background of landscape gardening. He had the opportunity to buy some land (which has a wonderful woodland included). He is committed to organic food and started his small holding to supply himself and his neighbours with good organic fruit and vegetables. Luckily for us he grows enough to also supply our shop. Pual's salad bags are very tasty and have a good mixture of leaves in them. His strawberries are absolutely divine. Incidentally, Paul has the oldest willow tree in Warwickshire on his land.

CANALSIDE COMMUNITY FARM

Organic vegetables.

Canalside Community Food is run by a small, committed group and the core members have been meeting since the summer of 2005. Canalside’s members are wide-ranging in their interests and specialisms, which range from farming to organic research, and they all share a strong commitment to local food and community empowerment. For those who might be interested in becoming more involved with Canalside, below is a brief profile of some of the Canalside team.

Tom and Caz Ingall. Living on the farm has allowed them both to reconnect with their roots, and they have become more deeply involved in the farming way of life. Tom and Caz’s concerns with environmental issues and local food production meant that they feel it was their responsibility to use their land for the greater environmental and social good, which led to the creation of Canalside Community Food. Tom is a part-time grower for the project.

Ali Jeffery returned from voluntary work in Pakistan.  She began by growing veg on the roof of her houseboat, then became involved with Canalside. Ali was a workshare on the project for two years. She is involved in Canalside’s nascent schools’ project, and is looking forward to teaching local schoolchildren about the benefits of organic, local produce. Ali is the General Administrator for the project.

Fiona Cottrell took over the CSA accounts in October 2009. In addition to her work with Canalside, she is also a Finance Officer for an international human rights charity, based in Moreton-in-Marsh. She has been involved with CSA for some time now, along with Gareth Davies (one of Canalside's founding members). 

WESTS OF WELLESBOURNE

Traditional breads.

Wests are a fantastic local bakery based in Wellesbourne, selling bread through their own shop, and distributing to a number of businesses in the region, including GAIA.

Wests Bakery is a family-owned business, currently run by fourth generation baker Mark Lane, whose great-grandfather bought the bakery premises at 14 Warwick Road, Wellesbourne on 27 August 1910. One Hundred years and four generations later, Wests Bakery continues to specialise in producing traditional artisan breads, delicious pastries, confectionary and savoury baked goods.

All of Wests Bakery products are made fresh daily on site from scratch, using untreated flour which is sourced from two local millers, Matthew’s in Shipton-under-Wychwood in the Cotswolds and Clark’s of Wantage, Oxfordshire. Modern baking machinery is used together with traditional methods of fermentation to make the freshest of breads and pastries. In keeping with the tradition of the bakery and the spirit of this age, Mark also has a commitment to using as little plastic packaging as possible in preparing and presenting his product. Instead, Mark uses locally sourced recyclable paper packaging to keep his produce as fresh as possible, and bakes daily.

View Gaia's Local Suppliers in a larger map

National Wholesalers

Paul's (Soyfoods Ltd)

- in Melton Mowbray are a nation-wide distributors of organic vegetables and fruit grown both in the UK and abroad. They also supply us with

Suma

- the UK's largest independent wholesaler and distributor of quality vegetarian, fairly traded, organic and natural foods. Suma is a worker’s co-op that follows similar principles of sustainability and social justice to us.

Goodness Foods

- a large ethical wholefood supplier in Daventry, stocking frozen foods.