100 Years

of Greengrocery

at 14 Carr Lane, Slaithwaite

Welcome to the Community Owned Green Valley Grocer

Since 2009 The Green Valley Grocer is a community-owned co-operative in Slaithwaite.

Our friendly, helpful staff, who are knowledgeable, informative and interested in the products we offer, are essential to our proposition. We would describe all of our staff as ‘foodies’ who have an interest in growing and/or cooking. We aim to maintain a modern relationship with our customers using technology and responding quickly to feedback and changes in customer needs.

We are a Co-operative Owned Shop

The Green Valley Grocer is a co-operative and community-owned shop, we are registered as an Industrial and Provident Society. As a Cooperative, all members have equal say, so no one shareholder’s views can dominate.

Founder member Camilla Govan said “We need to make a profit to be a viable business, able to invest in the future to keep serving the community. We exist because our members believe in our vision, we are delighted to be able to reward them.”

Our share offer is still open, we welcome new members who wish to have a say in the major decisions of this business in the years to come.

Our Aims

To operate a financially viable food business at the heart of a sustainable and viable village high street
To operate as a pioneering community-owned cooperative, to enable local people to have a real stake in the enterprise
To provide and enhance retail choice to local people in and around Slaithwaite
To be part of a ‘destination’ village, for locals and visitors
To preserve a distinctive and traditional offering that includes affordable, ethically sourced, healthy and local products
To provide rewarding employment for local people, encourage participation and empowerment, and pay good wages within the financial constraints of the business
To contribute to the development of a ‘new economic model’ which is sustainable, thus promoting local resilience
Minimising energy use in our operations, as well as helping our customers to minimise their carbon footprint.

Our Business Proposition

Quality: We seek to be distinctive in terms of the quality of the food we sell. We source good quality products which focus on flavour, freshness, and provenance, rather than the uniform, bland, ‘showroom’ appearance for which supermarket produce is often selected. We will not stock foods that are highly processed and full of artificial additives.

Fresh: As a purveyor of fruit, vegetables, fish, and dairy products we seek to ensure, through regular ordering, that our produce is always fresh and wholesome. Our product range offers a substantially lower level of packaging than that which is offered by larger competitors.

Local: Locally grown and produced foods form a substantial proportion of our offer and openness about food provenance is a guiding principle.

Customer Service: Friendly, helpful staff, who are knowledgeable, informative, and interested in the products we offer, are essential to our proposition. We would describe all of our staff as ‘foodies’ who have an interest in growing and/or cooking. We aim to maintain a modern relationship with our customers using technology and responding quickly to feedback and changes in customer needs.

Community Ownership: Our structure and ownership model roots the business very firmly both in the values and principles of the cooperative tradition and within the local community.

100 Years

of Greengrocery

at 14 Carr Lane, Slaithwaite

Created by Jim Allison

What is 100 Years of Greengrocery?

For the last 17 years the shop has been called the Green Valley grocer, it is a community-owned cooperative, managed by Carol Wood.

But what was it before? Is anyone old enough to remember ‘George Henry’s’ when it was Walkers from 1926-1946?

Very many remember the legendary Dakers who had it for over 50 years!
After Arthur retired, the name remained but it was Glyn and Diane Baines who saw it through the ‘reinstating the canal’ years.
Another name change to The Artichoke under the France family from 2004-2009.

And for the last 17 years as the Green Valley Grocer, are you one of the locals who joined this community-owned cooperative to help keep greengrocery going?

100 years of passing on the greengrocery baton in Slaithwaite.
More soon!

Our Local Food Ethos

We define ‘Local’ food as food grown or made within a 30 mile radius of Slaithwaite village. We define ‘Super Local’ as food grown or made within a 5 mile radius, including in Slaithwaite, Marsden, Golcar, Milnsbridge, Meltham areas.

We aspire to purchase 50% of our produce from local growers or producers within the 30 mile radius. We aim for the ‘locally grown’ element in this to be 20% and the ‘locally made’ 30%. We also aim to have 20% of the total classified as ‘Super Local’, within 5 miles of Slaithwaite.

Fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and fresh herbs

We go to New Smithfield wholesale market twice a week and Bradford wholesale market once a week. We use local farms such as D W Westwood in the Rhubarb Triangle. We also sell Super local produce in season from gardeners who have surplus.

Wet Fish & Seafood

We visit the Smithfield Fish Market for fresh fish and seafood 2 times a week.
Salmon, haddock, naturally smoked haddock and hake fillets are our ‘staples’
Cooked sandwich prawns and raw Tiger prawns in the freezer.
A favourite lunch item is our smoked mackerel, with or without peppercorns.
We can order from our supplier from their huge range of wet fish, cooked fish and seafood for customer requests, please give us two days notice for this.

Cheese, Cooked meats & Deli Goods

We stock over 50 cheeses from the UK and Europe.
Including cheddars, Lancashires, blues, brie, soft cheeses, as well as goat’s and ewe’s milk cheeses.
We also sell vegan/dairy-free cheese products
We sell a select range of cooked and cured pre-packed meats, as well as olives, semi-dried tomatoes, and pates.

Artisan Bread

From Tuesdays to Saturdays, we sell fresh loaves from the Hand Made Bakery, just a few minutes away.
Our regular favourites are Sleepless White, Malted and Seeded Granary, Wild White Sourdough, Focaccia and Yorkshire Leaven Sourdough. We also often have Hearth loaves and Wholemeal Cobs.

Dairy Produce

Our main supplier of Dairy produce is Longley Farm near Holmfirth.
We carry almost their full range of yogurts, creams, cottage cheeses, and crème Fraiche.
We sell fresh, free-range eggs from near Holmfirth.
Milk from Briggs dairy farm, here in Slaithwaite.

Jams, honey, Peanut Butter and Chutney

Our selection of jams is vast and ever-expanding as our producers invent different fruit combinations.
Also, local home producers use their own home-grown fruit.
We sell honey from Phillip Jones Honey, Elland.
Three local honey producers including Phillip Jones
We stock a large range of Shaws Pickles and chutneys, made in Huddersfield since 1889.

Baking Goods

For home-bakers, we have almost the full range of Doves Farm organic flours, alongside Shipton Mill, specialist Italian and gluten-free flours.
We sell sugars and sweeteners, baking powder, mixed peel and cornflour.

Chocolate & snacks

We stock an impressive range of flavours of Guppy’s Chocolate York.
For a healthy snack, we have a range of vegan and dairy free snacks
An ever-expanding range of crisps and chips. Seasonal chocolate suitable for gifts

Wholefoods & Store Cupboard Staples

Most of our Wholefoods range is supplied by Suma in Elland.
We sell a wide range of Suma-label dried fruit, rice, pulses, grains, pasta, as well as tinned soups and sauces, cooking oils, and condiments. We offer organic options on some of this range.
We stock over 100 dried herbs and spices.
Our wide range of breakfast cereals includes gluten-free options.
We sell some of the basic dried fruit and pulses loose to weigh down and you can bring your own containers to fill up.

Household & Cleaning Products, Personal Care Products

Ecoleaf is our chosen brand for household and cleaning products and we were the first shop in Slaithwaite where you can bring your empty bottles to re-fill with Washing Up Liquid, Laundry Liquid, anti-bacterial cleaner and Fabric Conditioner.
We sell a small range of Faith In Nature natural shampoos, conditioners, hand washes, shower gels and soaps
Kingfisher and Sarakan toothpaste
Suma soap bars.

Meet our team

“Being a co-op brings many benefits. Instead of a single owner or manager, we have over 350+ cooperative members, 6 voluntary board members (directors), and 7 adult staff plus the manager and 6 juniors, all working together.”