Isle of Wight-made tomato-based products are proving to be basket pleasers in Southern Co-op retail stores, as are a whole host of other locally produced items.
The products made by The Tomato Stall in Arreton feature in Southern Co-op’s Local Flavours range, which currently showcases nearly 200 local suppliers from 13 different southern England counties.
Southern Co-op – a regional independent co-operative – is shouting about its local producers ahead of the upcoming British Food Fortnight from 22nd September to 7th October.
Its Local Flavours range is available in 196 of its local stores, with a varied number of local products available in each store. Across the South of England, shoppers have bought nearly 2 million local products from its stores in the last 7 months (Feb to August) – the equivalent of 62,493 units each week.
Other local producers on the Isle of Wight are: Brownrigg Poultry; Calbourne Classics; Calbourne Water Mill; Farmhouse Fayre; Goddards Brewery; Grace’s Bakery; Island Ales; Island Community Ventures; Isle of Wight Woodland Products; Klaus Landahl; Living Larder; Isle of Wight Ice Cream; Osel Enterptises (Wight Crystal); Phillips Fine Foods; Pinks Foods; Rew Valley Dairies; Island Biscuits; Rosemary Vineyard; The Garlic Farm; The Isle Of Wight Cheese Company; The Village Bakery Freshwater; Ventnor Botanic Garden CIC; Wight Heat; Wild Island; Yates IOW Brewery; E J Griffin and Son; Isle of Wight Biltong; Isle of Wight Distillery; Knox Farms – Oil of Wight and W J Nigh & Sons.
Simon Eastwood, Southern Co-op’s Chief Operating Officer for Retail, said:
“Our Local Flavours range is a really important aspect to our retail stores and last year we celebrated its tenth anniversary.
“It was first launched on the Isle of Wight as we wanted to support some of our amazing local food and drink producers. Today, we currently have nearly 1,900 different types of local products sitting on our shelves.
Article continues below this advertisement “Knowing where our food comes from is so important and so is supporting our local economy. Our local producers can also bring the food alive to help us understand exactly what goes in to the food on our plates.”
To find out more about the Southern Co-op’s Local Flavours range, visit www.thesouthernco-operative.co.uk/food/local-flavours/.
