Sunshine Cooperative

Great news! The first refill station has made it's way to Sunderland, and it's our very own! In store we currently have four item's for you to fill your plastic containers with: - Brown Basmati Rice £2.55 / kg  - Organic Wholemeal Fusilli Pasta £2.77 / kg (Allergens: Wheat) - Organic Penne Pasta £2.77 / kg (Allergens: Wheat) - Crunchy Apricot Muesli £3.43 / kg (Includes Honey, Allergens: Oats, Wheats, Hazelnut, Barley, Sunflower Seeds, Sulphur Dioxide) Refill stations like ours let you as the customer decide how much of each product you would like, in the process reducing waste. As well as this, you wouldn't have the left over packaging you normally have upon emptying a shop bought product. Supermarkets put over 900,000 tonnes of plastic packaging onto their shelves each year, so through refill stations we are able to reduce plastic waste and littering, in the process helping our wildlife and marine life one step at a time.  Shops like us are local, stocked with locally...

Now in store we have two new products from local businesses - Durham Coffee and Life Kombucha! Durham Coffee Durham Coffee are a family business with a passion for coffee and a love for Durham and the Northeast, offering ethically sourced speciality coffee with a local twist. Father and daughter duo Bernhard and Carina have worked in the coffee industry for many years, establishing Kaffehaus Amadeus in Lanchester, as well as training and teaching others about speciality coffee. All the coffee is sourced from a sustainable supply chain which can be traced back directly to the coffee farm. Their suppliers work in close partnership with the farmers to ensure highest quality, sustainability, and fair prices, which leads to long-term relationships helping coffee farmers to build sustainable businesses.  In store we currently have four products from the Durham Heritage Range. Miner's Gala (100g) - Brown sugar, maple syrup, creamy 'The Miner's gala celebrates Durham's rich min...

With Christmas just around the corner, now is a perfect time to source your veg for your Christmas Dinner, and where better to buy from than us! From avoiding harmful substances to taking a stance in sustainability, there are countless positives to why you should shop for organic foods, such as:  It's Better For the Planet Designed to protect nature and to enhance the health of soils, water and air, organic farming is leading the way on sustainability. In fact, if Europe's farmland all followed organic principles, agricultural emissions could drop by 40 to 50% by 2050, with plenty to feed the growing population healthy diets. Organic farmers are encouraged to 'close the loop' on their farms, making use of what's to hand and limiting the use of imported resources. This means - No artificial fertilisers - Organic farming lowers the risk of environmental pollution and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by severely restricting the use of manufactured chemical fertili...

We at Sunshine Co-operative aim to provide affordable, accessible, and healthy food to create a community that has a stronger sense of health and wellbeing. Businesses such as ourselves aim to build up our business due to us being passionate for what we sell, letting us create products which are unique and personal just for the customer - a service which especially comes in handy during the later months of the year when you're searching for something specific for that special someone. Shopping locally at Christmas lets you as the customer receive a personalised service, and at times, personalised products, since at times good customer service can be difficult to find in big chain stores such as your larger supermarkets.  One of the biggest perks of shopping locally with us during the Christmas period is the personally hand-crafted items you come across. Here we have our second gift idea of the month - Classic Kimchi and Green Mexican Kimchi, sourced from another local business loca...

Shopping locally is currently more important than it has ever been. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, countless businesses had no choice but to temporarily close due to the lack of customers and sales being made. During the pandemic, Goldman Sachs' created a survey which was then answered by 10,000 small business owners in the UK, and the results showed that two thirds saw their revenue decrease, and while 44% had to cut jobs, 62% were able to continue trading with no interruption. Following this, the Sunderland Echo also conducted their 'Big Conversation' survey. In response to the survey, 43% said they were supporting local businesses a lot more since the pandemic began, and 73.7% said that they agreed with the statement that 'the Christmas period would be a good opportunity to support small, local businesses.' Fast forward to December 2021, we have since welcomed the re-opening of shops, and importantly, our local businesses. In today's society, how we approac...