While many farm shops help to support local charities, such work is the reason for the existence of Yorkshire’s Brunswick Organic Nursery Shop.
Based in Bishopthorpe, a few miles from York, the shop is a Community Interest Company and the retail arm of registered charity Brunswick Organic Nurseries, which works with adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. They are given the opportunity to take part in activities including growing fruit, veg and ornamental plants at the nursery, offering gardening services to local businesses and individuals, cooking, woodworking, organising events and working in the shop.
The nursery site was previously a market garden and offers easy to access from York by car and public transport. It is situated on the Solar System cycle path between York to Selby – a scale model of the solar system spread out along 6.4 miles – which also makes it accessible by bike or on foot.
“Customers come to us for sustainably sourced gardening supplies and organic groceries,” explains shop manager Catherine. (Everyone in the business is regarded as the same, and everyone is referred to only by their first names.) “We have many customers who use us as their local grocery store and others who make special journeys to buy plants, gifts and, at this time of the year, Christmas trees and wreaths that are made here.”
The charity launched in the mid-90s, and originally operated a small stall selling produce. A few years later the shop building arrived in two pieces on the back of a lorry. A repurposed former classroom, it was expected to last five years but is still going strong today. The shop was started to offer workers opportunities in a retail environment and to be the primary outlet for work area produce and products.
Originally comprising vegetables and fruit grown at the nursery, the shop’s product range has expanded to include locally produced foods such as Shire Honey, Stringers Oats, Puckett’s Pickles and Breckenholme oil. It also sells many non-food items made on site including birdboxes and feeders, wooden homewares, greetings cards and journals.
“At certain times of the year, we are awash with tasty fruit and veg grown here,” says Catherine. “We also stock organic fruit and veg bought in to supplement our own produce. sustainability is very much at the core of what we do being a Soil Association-registered organic nursery.”
The shop has been through many changes over the years and underwent a major refurbishment last year that has enabled the business to use the space more effectively and focus on its core areas of gardening, groceries and gifts.
“While we could not actually expand the size of the shop when we refurbished, we altered the layout and fixturing to maximise space and have been able to increase our product offer while ensuring the shop is easy to navigate and accessible to all, explains Catherine. “After the refurb, several regular customers asked if we had extended the shop and were surprised to hear we hadn’t!”
The current look of the store is simple, with hand-made and reclaimed furniture and fixtures including garden sieve lights made on site.
“We aim to create a cosy and inviting atmosphere in the shop which extends to our plant nursery outside,” says Catherine. She adds that the business hopes to further expand the ranges grown and made on site as well as those bought in, and that that shop may hopefully one day get an extension.
With all shop profits going back into the charity to support its work, Catherine is grateful to her workers and customers for helping the business flourish.
“We are very fortunate to have such a fantastic shop team and level of support both within Brunswick and outside which has allowed us to grow the business despite the many outside financial pressures customers are facing,” she adds.
The achievements of the business were recognised at the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards this spring, when Brunswick was named Best Retailer in the Small Farm Shop category. Judges were impressed with the business’s organic principles, its passion for sustainability and how it engages with people with learning disabilities.
As one judge put it: “A lot of hard work and love has obviously gone into this really laudable project. You can see it’s a hugely positive experience for the adults with learning disabilities who are at the heart of that contribution. A place with great values that looks like it could be a blueprint for other similar projects.”
Catherine says there was a palpable sense of pride and achievement across the whole Brunswick community when they learned it had won the award.
“The publicity we have gained has brought lots of new customers to us, and we have met some lovely people through the awards process who now support us at events such as our summer food festival and Christmas festival,” she explains. “This has helped to make it a great success both from a financial and a community engagement perspective.”
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