Our Story

The Sustainable Cooperative was formed in 2018 to create a more sustainable supply of food on the island of Jersey. We recognised the impact our choices as consumers have on the environment and wanted to have an opportunity to shop in a way that we felt comfortable with. 

Following a campaign to generate and gauge interest, we established ourselves as a nonprofit organisation, based on Co-operative Values and Principles. A crowdfunding campaign raised the necessary funds to open our first shop, which was coordinated by a steering committee and a team of dedicated volunteers. The Sustainable Cooperative was born!

Our farm shop aimed to remove unnecessary packaging and support producers who care most for the environment. We wanted to create the most beautiful and sustainable shopping experience in Jersey! In the following two years we developed an education programme with local schools, presented a programme of cultural events, installed a re-use facility for glassware and plastic containers, built a production kitchen and formed a policy think tank that works with government and partner organisations to create and promote more sustainable food systems. 

In 2018 we received the Channel Islands Insurance Corporation Conservation Award and were named the Jersey Evening Post Pride of Jersey Environmentalists of the Year. We are signed up to the Chefs Manifesto, a member of Good Market Global and Plastic Free Jersey, part of the eco active business network and registered as a living wage employer. We actively support local charities, with fund raising initiatives and donations. Our membership has grown to over 250 members.

We are proud of what the SCOOP community has achieved and we are confident that our vibrant community will continue to grow and evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. We are happy to offer advice to anybody wishing to start a similar initiative and look forward to welcoming you all to The Sustainable Cooperative.

We hope that our activities will contribute to a more ecologically and environmentally sustainable island, by reducing waste, supporting responsible farming practices, protecting our natural resources and reducing our carbon footprint. We aim to make caring for the environment an integral and habitual part of our every-day lives, while raising awareness towards the environmental impact of our supply chains.

Kaspar Wimberley
Co-Founder of The Sustainable Cooperative

"When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect" Aldo Leopold, ecologist and philosopher