
Uist Wholefoods Co-operative held an Open Day at West Gerinish Hall on June 4th. We hope that this event will be one of many that we will hold throughout the year and around the islands to introduce the public to members of the co-operative and provide an opportunity to talk in depth with like minded people. A wide range of the products available was on display and (proving to be very popular) a wide range of baking (sweet and savoury) using products from the range. We were also fortunate to have a large variety of samples from the many suppliers involved in the Co-operative for everyone to take away and try at home. These ranged from hand creams and washing up liquids to tea and coffee, juices, biscuits, crackers and spreads.
Members of the Co-Operative arrived bright and early setting up the tables and making the hall warm and welcoming. The doors opened at 11am and until 3pm nearly 40 visitors came through the doors. In this more relaxed environment where the emphasis was on TRY rather than buy - we were able to talk in depth to visitors about their dietary needs, the vast product range, about environmental impact and all things foody. Tea and coffee were available where visitors chose their brew from the vast array of bags and blends on offer. The baking/tasting table was very popular with one visitor commenting that she was not expecting everything to be so tasty – helping further to dispel the myth that everything “wholefoody” tastes indigestible.
Our Chairwoman writes “These Open Day events are a way for us to dispel the myth that the Co-operative is just about mung beans and muesli. For some strange reason the words “Wholefoods Co-operative” seems to carry with it the image of a collective of hardy vegans, knitting tofu and wearing hemp. Suffice it to say none of us has attempted to knit tofu! This is of course a wee joke but there is some truth about healthy, ethical products appealing to a certain fraternity. However, we are a group of people, ladies and gents alike, that enjoy cooking and eating ethically sourced products, having access to unprocessed whole foods and having access to hard to find products according to our dietary requirements. We exchange ideas, recipes, product reviews and will endeavour to spread the message that there is more to us than mung beans and muesli.”
The comments we hear most are: ’I’ve heard of you but not quite sure what it is you do’ and ‘I got a catalogue years ago but didn’t really understand how to order’ . We were able to chat with visitors about how to become members, how to access our website, where to find recipes and ideas and not least go through the simple ordering process.
The catalogue carries a range in excess of 3000 products which came as a huge surprise to nearly everyone we spoke to. Many of the items are also available in catering sizes making this a cost effective method of sourcing ingredients that are used in bulk. Almost everything you could possible need except chilled and frozen foods are available.
In order to cater for the non-computerised in the community we offer a phone-in ordering service, a catalogue is also available at Lionacleit library to browse through. Through a network of members we can also arrange to deliver orders to those without transport. We want to make it as easy as possible for all the inhabitants of the islands to have access to the Wholefoods Co-operative.
To gain some insight as to how the Open Day event was viewed by our visitors we asked for feedback forms to be completed. We will use these comments and observations to tailor further events and ensure we give visitors as much information as we can. A draw was also held on the day choosing a random feedback form that had been completed. Our congratulations go to Amanda Rae, Kilpheder who wins a hamper of wholefood goodies.
We would like to thank Fiona Ballantyne, Christine Johnson, Charli and Gemma Patterson and Jackie Warner for their hard work and dedication in staging this event, together with members who donated baking, and Angela Monk for tracking down all the samples. In addition grateful thanks go to all the suppliers who provided us with literature and samples for visitors to try.
If you didn’t manage to get to the event at West Gerinish look out for posters of forthcoming events or visit our website for all the latest news.