Q: How did you and Ben get the idea for your store?
A: When Ben and I met, he was one of the directors of the Valley Organic Cooperatives at Hebden Bridge, and I worked as an interpreter for the police and courts. Once we moved in together, Ben came up with the idea of establishing an organic shop near our home and I took a few months off to help him. Two years later, I'm still in the store and I love it.
Q: How did you find the facility? Is that a good place?
A: While messing around with the idea of an organic shop, we came across a lovely space at the bottom of Bingley's main street. After some research and encouragement responses from the locals, we picked up courage and borrowed it. Within a year, we surpassed that small store and took on a bigger store in the town centre. The new location has proven to be extremely popular – we have been able to further expand our vegetable box scheme to offer a wider range of organic foods, toiletries, cleaning products, refills and gifts. Due to demand, we are now open 7 days a week.
Q: What are you planning next?
A: Lots: Dried food refills, more vegetable box delivery dates, more sauerkraut and sourdough starter making presentations, and more lectures at local elementary schools.
Q: Where do you source stock?
A: We use as many local suppliers and local community farms as possible to reduce carbon footprint and support the local economy. I have ordered a lot of fresh organic produce from Tadocaster's organic pantry, the Organic North Wholesaler in Manchester, and more recently Widsy Community Gardens. We stock a variety of delicious fresh sourdough, artisans and gluten-free breads from local bakeries. Many of our fresh produce are seasonal and there is no air freight. We support local beekeepers, kombucha, cordials, bread, chili jam makers, coffee roasters, toiletry makers, artists and crafters. Our refills (toiletries and cleaning products) are from the popular Keighley Company Miniml. Many of our products are suggested by our customers.
Local growers bring us free, organically grown produce to us, which we pass to our customers and to our Bingley Community Kitchen, which we have supported for a while.
Q: How important is it to eat organic?
A: There is growing evidence that eating organic foods is great for our health, but eliminating the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers in organic farming also helps planets and wildlife, including hedgehogs. Masu.
Organic farming practices can increase the ability of soil to store carbon, thus helping to combat global warming. For more information on the Soil Association website, yolassociaton.org, please see
While eating only organic is expensive, there are some foods worth getting that option, such as oats, berries and lush greens. Find out more about your best options here: pan-uk.org/dirty-dozen.
Q: Are people more interested in where their food comes from today?
A: More and more people are choosing organic foods and local produce to support local shops and growers. Our customers are deeply interested in sustainability, climate change and the local economy. According to the latest report from the Soil Association, independent organic retailers grew 9.9% year-on-year, while supermarkets rose 2.7%. This is encouraging news.
Q: Please tell me more about the Veg Box Scheme.
A: Whenever possible, it can be very enjoyable to eat seasonal, locally grown vegetables. Our Vegetable Box customers discover and taste fresh, nutritious organic vegetables and fruits that they didn't exist, such as Kumcut, Kohlrabi, Golden Bee Troot, Calcott, and Build Dock Root. We also offer custom made boxes and swap options for customers who prefer to stick to their favorites, and for those who want the possibility to add fresh organic milk, bread, eggs and everything else . The feedback was great.
Q: Where do you deliver the vegetable boxes?
A: We set up a Veg Box scheme in September 2022, and our subscriptions have almost tripled. Delivery to Silsden, Bradford, Haworth and Guiseley. We will check if you want to stream in your area type with your postal code on our website hedgehogorganics.co.uk.
Q: Will buying organic and making recipes save you money?
A: In our store, you can buy the exact amount of fruits and vegetables you need, even if it's a single carrot or banana. This helps you tackle plastic and food waste and reduces costs. They also often have boxes of free produce and half price produce available to customers. This is the best food, but it's still great for soups and smoothies. Ben is the king who makes the most sacred dishes with his vegetables.
Q: What is your involvement with your local hedgehog rescue charity?
A: Steph and the team at Eldwick at the local Herby Hedgehog Emergency Rescue have saved many hedgehogs over the years. Collect and hand over donations from customers. New volunteers and donations are welcome. https://gofund.me/5c112bd1
Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?
A: Ben is the organic brain of a hedgehog, doing most of the order and planning, but also enjoys arranging vegetables, crushing cardboard and filling shelves. I interact with clients, listen to them and learn about their lives. A customer told me that shopping at Hedgehog Organic is cheaper than therapy. This is also found in our small but incredible teams, Haley, Jan, Zoe, Britta, Isla, Becca and Lisa – they are our most valuable asset, the joy of shopping and working with us.
Q: Please say anything else about the store
A: Our store is more than just a store. It is becoming a field of community where people meet and connect. Sometimes you get customers who don't buy anything, and they just come in for chat. Last year we celebrated Bingly Fairo Block's 250th anniversary with a fantastic folk music session in the shop by local musicians Liz and Chris. We joined local artists along with local tailors and they created some fantastic wallets and bags. We joined a local gardener with a local chili jam maker. I saw them meet at the counter and fall in love. We collect material donated to the local Morsbags organization, formed by a fantastic group of women that turn them into reusable shopping bags. They have made more than 8,400 so far, saving millions of plastic bags and a wealth of materials from the landfill. If you want to be one of these inspirational Morsbag makers, or if you have materials such as curtains and bedding that you don't need, let us know.
Emma Molloy's pleasant hub is located on the second floor of the pleasant hub, offering yoga and Pilates classes, sound baths, qigong, meditation, nutrition clinics and even hand standing courses. The class is small and comfortable – we did some on our own.
It's humble to see how much we appreciate a good local store with quality organic foods, even amid the current living crisis. It wasn't an easy and straightforward journey, but it was tough, but the love, encouragement and support we get from our customers every day gives us a lot of joy and enthusiasm.
*Hedgehog Organics, 103 Main St, Bingley BD16 2HT. Visit hedgehogorganics.co.uk
