Last week I went to visit the lovely Kevin at Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop!
This year we’re planning on going out to visit lots of our customers and first up was this thriving community shop.
A community shop is a retail business owned or run by the local community for the local community. They are becoming more and more common especially in more rural areas throughout the South West and beyond.
Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop came about when the last village shop closed back in 2016. The community rallied and a team was put together shortly after the closure to serve the community. They began by selling newspapers out of the pubs cider barn. The staff tied hot water bottles around their waists to try and keep warm in winter! Soon the committee raised enough money by selling shares to buy land for the shop.
The shop was purpose built by a local timber builder on land adjacent to the Methodist Chapel and opened in 2018.
The committee buying group were passionate about the shop stocking local produce and did extensive research into local suppliers.
We made the cut! And were chosen among other local businesses to supply our fantastic range of local produce to the shop. Shop manager Kevin has worked at the shop since the very beginning and has been instrumental in making the shop the thriving community hub that it is.
Whilst I was there on a lovely Spring morning I saw several members of the community pop in. When I asked Kevin what made him choose to work here he told me that it was to take on a new challenge. “A community shop is unlike a regular supermarket. You get to know people, anticipate their needs and grow to know what will work for your customers. It was a new adventure and a chance to work within the local community”.
I asked Kevin what their bestselling product from our range was, the result? Our Devon Premium Ham which has sold over 1800 packs so far this year!
Our cheeses are also incredibly popular with his customers and in particular the Westcountry Barnstormer. This is such a good cheddar with a rounded balanced flavour and crumbly texture.
I also asked him about the impact of the 2020 Covid pandemic on shopping habits in the village.
As a food wholesaler we saw a huge increase in custom when the public began using their local shops more. This was the case for Cheriton Fitzpaine as well! The volunteer team worked incredibly hard. They hand delivered shopping to many local villagers who were either shielding. Generally going above and beyond and much more helpful than the supermarkets!
Finally I asked Kevin if there was anything we could do as a supplier to better serve the community shop.
“You’ve already done it!”. We recently launched our new online ordering app which Kevin is already finding easy to use. “You can add to the order as you go throughout the day before submitting it whenever it’s convenient”.
It was great to go out and visit Kevin and the team at Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop!
It goes to show that local products are still in demand and local shops still the serving a purpose in the community. Thank you again for having me Kevin!
If you’d like us to come and visit your shop just get in touch with us. We’d love to come and see you!
info@orchardleafoods.co.uk
01392 661001
