There are plenty of options available for anyone who wants to celebrate Christmas with a co-operative slant. From beer to champagne, retro gift ideas to Christmas trees, there is a whole world of co-op goods available online.
Beer
Hesket Newmarket Brewery, Cumbria
01697 478066
Hesket Newmarket brewery was first set up in 1988 in a converted barn at the back of the Old Crown pub. In 1999, around 60 local real ale fans formed the Hesket Newmarket Brewery Co-operative to keep the enterprise going. They have a full array of locally-produced ales for sale online, sold in boxes of twelve. It’s award-winning too: their Strong Ale Old Carrock recently won a silver medal in the SIBA North West beer competition.
Bubbly
Co-op Food champagne
0800 0686727
The Co-operative’s own brand champagne has won the top award for best non-vintage bubbly from Which?, beating rivals such as Lanson, Veuve Clicquot, and other supermarkets. Les Pionniers Non-Vintage Champagne costs £16.99 a bottle and was praised for its “rich, complex flavour … biscuit and citrus flavours with a hint of nuttiness.”
Bikes
Bikes remain a classic Christmas present, and the UK’s co-ops can serve all your cycling needs. Whether you’re buying a first bike for a young child, or pro accessories for a serious adult cyclist, there is something for everyone. Find your local bike co-op – whether a worker co-op like the Bicycle Doctor in Manchester, or the Bristol Bike Project CIC which repairs, recycles and relocates unwanted bikes – and see what they have on offer.
Books
News from Nowhere
0151 7087270
News from Nowhere in Liverpool is a workers’ co-operative selling books aimed at empowering and inspiring people to make positive in the world. Billed as a ‘radical and community’ bookshop, News from Nowhere supports campaigns for justice and is not for profit. Their online shop is fully stocked with fiction, biographies, poetry, recipe books, childrens’ books and more.
Buy Social
0203 589 4950
Buy Social is a website showcasing all sorts of products produced by social enterprises, from laptop cases made from recycled cement bags to upcycled bespoke pieces of furniture. The idea is to provide an online shopping site for those who want the money from their purchases to go back into social causes, and make a difference to communities everywhere.
Coffee
Revolver World Coffee Co-op
01902 345345
Revolver is a coffee co-operative based in Wolverhampton. It sells Fairtrade-accredited coffee bought directly from farming co-operatives from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Honduras and Uganda. There are regular and organic coffees, as well as vanilla, hazelnut and caramel syrups to jazz up your coffee.
Ethical Superstore
0333 4000464
The message behind Ethical Superstore is ‘Buy what you believe’. The online shop stocks a range of fair trade, organic and eco-friendly products from companies such as Suma Wholefoods, Cafe Direct and Divine. It’s a superstore so there are all sorts of things available, such as decorations, chocolates, kids’ toys, mulled wine kits and more.
Fairtrader online shop
01484 690515
Based in West Yorkshire, Fairtrader is a community co-operative with over 600 members. The site has been offering gifts online from fair and ethical sources around the world for over five years. They support fair trade enterprises and form partnerships with small and sustainable suppliers, particularly co-operatives, in developing countries. Some of their Christmas gifts include hampers, kids’ train sets and toys, toiletry gift boxes and jewellery.
Flowers
Co-operative Florist
The Co-operative Florist, operated by the Central England Co-operative, provides flowers for all kinds of occasions and Christmas is no different. They have a wide range of Christmas bouquets and planted baskets available with delivery available across a large area of the Midlands.
Food
Central England Co-operative
www.centralengland.coop/food-and-drink/offers
01543 414140
Central England Co-op is running a competition to ‘Win Christmas’. Tweet a selfie with your favourite Co-op Christmas product using the hashtag #mycoopshelfie and the company will give you £250 to spend at one of their stores. They have cakes, decorations, trees and other gift ideas.
Jewellery
Michael Jones Jeweller
www.
Michael Jones Jewellery has been trading in Northampton since 1919 and has three stores across the town and Banbury. Today the business is owned and run by its staff and the jewellery is sourced from the UK and around the world. The online store is fully stocked with rings, watches and bracelets as well as second hand items.
Phone
Fairphone 2
Fairphone 2 is the latest upgrade to the world’s first ethical smartphone. The phone is made entirely from materials that come from conflict-free mines and the company also supports workers’ rights by setting up a worker welfare fund for its factory staff in China. The latest model has a 5-inch HD Gorilla Glass LCD display, runs Android 5.1 and has 32GB of storage. They’re also in a partnership with the UK’s only customer-owned mobile network, the Phone Co-op.
Retro co-op gifts
Ebay
A quick search of ‘co-operative’ or ‘co-operative society’ on eBay brings up all sorts of vintage co-operative goodies. There are old milk tokens from co-ops around the country, plates and pots, commemorative tea towels, biscuit tins, shop signs and other retro items.
Rochdale Pioneers Museum
www.rochdalepioneersmuseum.coop/shop
01706 524920
The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is based on Toad Lane, on the site of the birth of the modern co-operative movement: where the Rochdale Pioneers opened their shop in December 1844. The museum also has a fully stocked online shop, which is a wealth of co-op gift ideas including books, mugs, bags, DVDs and posters.
Co-op Travel ‘gift experience’ vouchers
www.cooptravel.co.uk/cheap/
01922 243400
Vouchers are a staple of Christmas present buying, and Co-op Travel is offering gift experience vouchers from as little as £17 per person. You can get one-on-one golf lessons from a pro, have a spa day and afternoon tea for two, or drink champagne in a helicopter flying over the London skyline.
Trees
Welsh Co-operative of Christmas Tree Growers
Since 2009, four prominent Welsh tree-growers and producers have made up the Welsh Co-operative of Christmas Tree Growers. They operate independently but work together by swapping tools, expertise and tips such as how to source seeds and saplings from Russia and Denmark. They aim to meet the demand for home-grown trees from a collective way of doing business.
Wine
The Wine Society
01438 741177
The society’s been going since 1874 when a co-operative company was set up to buy good-quality wine and sell it to members. And it’s still going strong. First you have to become a member by buying a share in the company for £40. After that you have access to the extensive collection of red, white, rose, champagne and Christmas mixed cases.
Zaytoun products
www.premcrest.co.uk/fair-trade-wholesale-brands/zaytoun.html
0207 8321351
Zaytoun was originally founded in 2004 to support Palestinian farmers under Israeli occupation by fairly trading their olive oil. The social enterprise has now expanded to offer a wide range of Palestinian artisan foods, such as gift hampers, nuts, herbs, and soaps, available on their online store.
In this article
- Ale
- Beer Hesket Newmarket Brewery
- Central England Co-operative
- Christmas
- Co-op Florist
- Co-operative Florist
- CO-OPERATIVE Group
- eBay
- Flowers Co-operative Florist
- food
- Hesket Newmarket Brewery Co-operative
- Lanson
- Midcounties Co-operative
- online shopping site
- online store
- Palestinian territories
- recycled cement bags
- Rochdale Pioneers Museum
- Roger Hunt
- The Co-operative brand
- The Co-operative Food
- travel vouchers
- Veuve Clicquot
- Wine Society
- www.ebay.co.uk
- www.rochdalepioneersmuseum.coop/shop
- www.welshchristmastrees.co.uk
- anthonymurray
- james
- Global
- United Kingdom
- Headline
- Top Stories
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