Celebrating the producers, farmers, and crafters in/around the Stroud district has always been at the heart of our non-profit enterprise and is reflected within our four values of choosing local first, keeping our footprint tiny, supporting good husbandry, and connecting local economy.

Being temporarily based at Hawkwood has been fantastic for us at Stroudco as it has meant we have been able to work right alongside a number of our local producers who farm and grow within the 42 acres of land surrounding where we operate.

When the time comes to move from Hawkwood (as they re-open for business, providing their residential and visitor courses once more) we hope our partnership will continue. We thank Alicia and the rest of the Hawkwood team for all their support since we re-launched.

Read on to find out more about how you are supporting local when shopping with Stroudco...

Hawkwood

“We have had to dig deep to keep our charity afloat. I am so grateful that this forward-thinking local grocery business came up with the idea of relocating to Hawkwood" - Hawkwood Chief Executive Alicia Carey

Seasonal fruit, veg, and fresh herbs from Hawkwood’s own gardens are supplied to us each week helping to deliver surplus produce whilst the building remains closed to the public. The gorgeous bunches of fresh flowers we supply are also from Hawkwood. Vibrant and colourful they have become popular each week for brightening up any room, whilst also making for a wonderful gift.

Stroud Community Agriculture (SCA)

“As we farm at Hawkwood we get to see the hub of activity and volunteering that happens every Friday, it is very heartening to see that community involvement. The packing and preparation on a Friday morning gives us a chance to support and become involved in this community effort along with the other growers and producers based here” - SCA Farmer Mark

With a range of organic and biodynamic produce farmed throughout the year, SCA’s polytunnels and farmland are situated in the fields right next to Hawkwood. With a sister site at Brookthorpe they supply us at Stroudco with their own seasonal produce, as well as sourcing a large amount of the other fruit and veg we stock.

Rosie and Nell

“We decided to sell our produce through Stroudco because it supports food producers and customers alike. They make it easy for us to get our fresh vegetables direct to people who would otherwise struggle to buy from us. The team at Stroudco and the Open Food Network have been incredibly supportive of us as we try and set up our small business during this challenging time”

- Co-Farmer Rosie

Newcomer farmers Rosie and Nell are one of several small agricultural businesses operating among a number of ecological projects on the community owned land known as Oakbrook Starter Farm. The beautiful seasonal salad mixes and a variety of our fresh vegetables, beans, and herbs we supply are lovingly harvested by this duo.

Stroud MicroDairy

Oakbrook Starter Farm is also home to Stroud MicroDairy, another of our well-known local producers. The locally produced raw milk, kefir, and yoghurt we are able to supply for our customers each week is produced here by Kees and his lovely herd.

Girish and Sons

"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were initially very worried. However, we were also aware we were in a position to be able to help all those that needed wholesome, nutritious food to see them through this tough period. Working with other local services and doing our own deliveries we are proud to have provided over 2000 healthy meals since the start of lockdown. The community of Stroud has great resilience because of its ability to cooperate and Stroudco, with the Open Food Network, provides a fantastic service that not only delivers essential goods to those that need them but at the same time supports local businesses like our own. So we would like to give a big thank you to all our customers and to the Stroudco team." - Owner Nikhil Girish

Famous in Stroud for their delicious Indian Dishes, Nikhil Girish and his wife Hebba took over the family business from Girish’s father and are well loved regulars at the Saturday Stroud Farmers Market with their street food stall. Their freshly made rice, curries, samosas, and baji are cooked in the Hawkwood Gatehouse Kitchen before being delivered to us beautifully presented and full of flavour, ready for our customers to enjoy.

Admin Volunteer Wanted

We are looking for a volunteer to help out our manager Grace with admin on Wednesday mornings. Working from your home, experience with Excel is required. If you or someone you know may be interested please email manager@stroudco.co.uk to find out more information.

Ordering With Stroudco:

We are open for orders Saturday 8am to Wednesday 8am every week. However as Saturdays are for priority customers only, we are not always live to the public - meaning our shop page will appear closed at times. When this is the case customers tagged as vulnerable will still be able to order once they have logged in. 

To order, please remember to follow the steps below:

1. Go to https://openfoodnetwork.org.uk/stroudco/shop
2. If you know you have been tagged as ‘vulnerable’, then you can ignore the notice about the shop being closed; otherwise, please come back later
3. Click the padlock and login icons at the top of the page
4. Log in using the email you have received this invitation on (or use the sign up tab, using the same email if you don't already have an account)
5. Read the notices about ordering during the lockdown
6. Go back to the Shop tab and place your order.
7. Eagerly await your order - delivered Friday afternoons.

If you need to order on behalf of others, as well as yourself, or you wish to make an order as a group, organisation, neighbourhood, or community then please contact us at manager@stroudco.org.uk for more infomation.

Chat With Us On Social Media

We love hearing from you on social media so please tag us in your comments, tweets, posts, pics, & shares, including #stroudco to help spread the word of what we do.

Twitter: @StroudcoFoodhub

Instagram: @stroudco_foodhub

Facebook: @stroudco

We also welcome any feedback you may like to share and hope you will continue to shop with us in future weeks! A final BIG Thank Youfrom all of us on the Stroudco Team for being such a vital part of our community and supporting what we do.

More updates to come in our next newsletter so get following and subscribing to find out more!