Suma Wholefoods

I am totally honoured to be the first person on Unilocal to review this noble organisation. From the official website, ‘Suma is the UK’s largest workers’ co-​operative. We operate equal pay and are democratically run by our members.’ And, ‘Suma is the UK’s largest independent wholefood wholesaler/​distributor, specialising in vegetarian, fairly traded, organic, ethical and natural products. We are a workers’ co-​operative committed to ethical business.’
Any wholefoods shop, ethical restaurant or café, the chances are the main wholesaler delivering to them is Suma. And the same goes for any councils, workplaces or schools which have adopted a fair trade policy or similar. Suma also deliver free to neighbour food clubs at wholesale prices, and that is my main (indirect) interaction with Suma, as a food club customer — we know when it’s Wednesday, as that’s the day the Suma articulated lorry trundles into our quiet Lancashire neighbourhood.
Ordering is done from a 164-​page catalogue packed with goodness. All the basic vegetarian foodstuffs are there — pulses, grains, spices, dried fruit and nuts — in a range of sizes to fit every store cupboard. Plus, there are a whole galaxy of ethical brand foods which are way ahead of the tired, old brands currently clogging up your local supermarket shelves — in terms of health, flavour, and authentic speciality foods. For example, my home cooked lunch today was enlivened by spoonful of Suma’s own brand ‘Pesto Alla Siciliana with almonds (organic)’ on top of some ‘Biona Organic Spelt Fusilli’ pasta. Spelt pasta has a deliciously nutty taste, but if that’s not for you, Suma also do loads of organic pasta in ordinary durum wheat.
I would say that even from the perspective of authentic gourmet foods alone, you really owe it to yourself to checkout Suma’s website and see what you could be enjoying, whether as a business-​to-​business customer, as part of a food club or for ideas on items you could be asking your local wholefoods shop or delicatessen to stock for you. Or order direct from Suma’s retail website:
Suma’s new website also features recipes of meals you can create with your Suma foodstuffs, so it really is all there on a plate for you — tuck in and enjoy!