Trinity Wholefoods Roots

In The Beginning

In 1984 a disparate group of local people, involved in the Hastings peace movement, came together to form Hastings Wholefood Co‑operative. The 15 founder members had no retail experience but a common passion for ethical trading, whole and organic foods and a commitment to egalitarian and co‑operative working. Within months of registering with Industrial Common Ownership Movement Limited (I.C.O.M.), premises at 3 Trinity Street in Hastings were secured and Trinity Wholefoods began trading in early 1985.

By the late '80s the shop space had been doubled by extending into a paved courtyard at the rear. Fortunately, in leasing a four storey premises, an entire floor could be converted into a bagging and storage area, still leaving adequate space for an office and meeting area ‑ an essential prerequisite for all co‑operatives!

Time For Change

After 20 years of trading, we felt it was time that the Trinity environment should adapt to match our ethics and values. In 2007, in line with our intention to minimise our environmental impact, we invested in a new eco refit, using organic paints, sustainable birchwood for a new counter and shelves, local low energy eco‑lighting and replaced some of our refrigerator units with more energy efficient models. Although the work cost a little more than a conventional refit we were awarded two grants and significant costs have been recouped through energy savings. Local sculptor Leigh Dyer was commissioned to design and construct a new gate for the shop entrance in line with our policy of supporting the local community. This was such a stunning piece of work, largely made from recycled materials, that we held a special gate‑opening day to honour Leigh's incredible creative talent, ably supported by the generosity of local entertainers and community stalwarts(!) who gave their time free to make the day a great success. If you missed the official gate opening ceremony don't despair there is a film on youtube.

Where We're At

With the growing awareness of how what we produce and consume impacts on our health and the environment, the organic, wholefood, vegan and vegetarian food markets have, over the years, changed beyond recognition. The emergence of more and more organic, ethical, fair‑traded and local goods means we can now offer an amazing range of products. A recent kitchen refurbishment means we have been able to extend the range of our own‑cooked takeaways. Our aim ahead is to continue to improve our customer service, to uphold the values outlined in our statement of ethics and to constantly review what we do to make sure that we respond appropriately to any new demands the future may bring.

And Finally..........

Since those early days many people have contributed to the growth of the co‑operative. To all those people we would like to say an enormous thank you. More importantly we would not have been able to sustain and grow our business anywhere near as successfully without the thousands of customers who have supported us so loyally down the years... THANK YOU!