Suma
Once there was a fella called Reg, who lived in Yorkshire. Back in the early seventies Reg started delivering sacks of rice and pulses around the local area. As demand grew, he expanded and decided that the proper course of business growth was as a co-operative, and that was the day that Suma was born.
Now employing 140 workers and turning around 20 million pounds a year, Suma are the largest distributors of wholefoods and natural products in the UK, and their product range is completely vegetarian. They distribute a number of lines including Provamel, Clipper Teas, Bio D cleaning products and Fentimans Drinks, and they also have a huge 'own label' range and supply about 150 shops in the South West region with many vegan staples as well as best selling lines like their pasta sauces, soups and also their toilet tissue, amongst many others. "The Suma range is distributed by both Essential and Queenswood" says Andy from Suma, "so we go all over the South West. We think Bristol is a lovely place as it happens, and supply several shops direct, including Earthbound, Scoopaway and The Better Food Company. It often feels geographically that we are a bit remote from our customers in the South West and we like to be involved in events and publications like the Bristol vegan guide to show our appreciation of our customers in the area."
Very much appreciated by us too, let me tell you, cos Suma are sponsoring the guide here, and it is support like this that enables us to publish 10,000 copies and give them away for free, thereby covering for free over 235 businesses, products and organisations that contribute to the phenomenal growth of the vegan lifestyle in the area.
It's a growth that doesn't surprise Andy, though. "There is a huge rise in appreciation of food as a whole," he adds. "People are not fools - they read the labels, they know what sodium benzoate and lactose and HDL are, and what our children eat at school is now of paramount and indeed governmental importance, and a negative reaction to processed foods means that whole foods and vegan foods enjoy a rightful place in the store cupboard rather than being marginalised as 'special interest' foods."
Very much an idea whose time has come, and one that Andy expects to continue. "Sales have quite literally gone through the roof," says Andy. "We have seen an overall sales growth of 22% over last year, and although we are expecting about half that this year, it is still an absolutely massive rise. And as public awareness of food continues to grow, and the prevalence of highly processed food accelerates its own demise the implications for our business, our customers and our health can only be good."
In this day and age of corporate greed, disregard for human, animal and planetary health, and a prevalence for placing profit before the common good, Suma are a shining example of all that is good in the world of commerce, and have proved beyond all reasonable doubt, along with other old skool Natural Products establishments such as Essential and Infinity, that things can be done as a co-op, and very successfully too. We admire their strength of integrity and commitment to a better way of doing things, and we think that wherever Reg may be today, he will be excessively proud of what he created. Fair shout, and thanks for your support.
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Story posted by on 2006-04-06 16:25:51.
Story last updated by on 2007-10-03 20:56:45.