Happy New Year! Thank you so much to all of you who shopped with us last year. With the New Year now here, we wanted to share some of our highlights from 2023.

Photo credit – Mark Simmons

Our founder was awarded an MBE

Our founder, Phil Haughton, has been recognised for his life’s work to create a better and fairer food system. From becoming a Soil Association member at age 14, to establishing four stores championing the best organic, local and ethical food and products, Phil has been a key player in communities, farming and business in the South West.

Phil says: “I’m delighted to receive this MBE. I have so much gratitude for our farmers, the Better Food team and our customers for supporting me on this journey of championing sustainable food in Bristol and beyond. I’ve been inspired by many people along the way and it’s an honour to be recognised for the work that I’m so passionate about.

We’re award-winning

This year we were absolutely delighted to win the coveted Soil Association BOOM award for Best Organic Independent Retailer in the UK for the third time. We were also a finalist in the Best of Organic Eating Out category.

And that’s not all, by demonstrating our commitment to offering healthier food options and promoting food and environmental sustainability, we were also awarded the Gold Bristol Eating Better Award 2023 by Bristol City Council.

Supporting our communities

Our stores are still supporting their chosen charities of St Werburghs City Farm, Houria, Greenhouse and Bristol Baby Bank. We have also supported many other local organisations with donations or raffle prizes including Coexist Community Kitchen, Fareshare South West and the Trussel Trust, just to name a few. We’ve continued to donate veg boxes to local schools and we even had a visit from the year 2s of a local primary school.

Ed, our Produce Coordinator said: “It was fantastic to have the inquisitive students of Fairlawn Primary School come into Better Food as part of their “How do we live a healthy life?” field trip. It’s amazing to see such young learners already able to engage with questions about organic produce and the importance of eating locally and healthily. They also got to tuck-in to some of our delicious produce!”

Our teams have been using their volunteer days to support causes close to them including, breastfeeding peer support, building furniture to get some new homes ready for refugees, seed planting for a pollinator trail, and volunteering in a soup kitchen.

The TAP for Bristol donation point at our Wapping Wharf store has raised £12,375 since being installed 4 years ago. Thank you to all of you who have tapped for Bristol to support those who are living with homelessness or are at risk of being homeless.

Events

We’ve had an exciting year of welcoming you to our events with an informative workshop for World Menopause Day, a buzzing Ethical Fish Supper Club featuring our supplier Sole of Discretion, a seed swap, delicious kimchi making, and a fascinating look into the discovery of local beavers with Bevis Watts and Festival of Nature.

We’re looking forward to building on this in 2024 and sharing our progress throughout the year. Wishing you a very Happy New Year from the Better Food Team!