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so whats the idea?

The idea is to build an ethical and organic shopping community, based around our farm produce, that offers members a complete shopping experience - it's basically an ethical supermarket.

 

Why is it ethical?

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When you order fresh vegetables or fruits, these are grown by us for you using organic principles on our small family run farm. We simply don't import any fresh produce, and offer seasonality. It gets to you literally hours after being harvested, and has not been sprayed with chemicals, the effects of which we know little about. Our approach encourages biodiversity both above and below the soil.

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The other stuff - pasta, tinned foods, coffee, grains, toiletries, non-food items and the like, are all sourced from SUMA, a long established ethical Co-Op. They are owned by the workers, and have been sourcing "ethical" products for 50 years - download their plan in the link below to find out more.

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How is it done?

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Via our comprehensive online farm-shop, we sell our own market garden produce alongside a range of predominantly organic products that we buy wholesale from SUMA. These are delivered weekly, and encompass the majority of everyday items, from soup to chocolate. This way, you can source most, if not all of what you may need through Pili-Pala Farm. The service is only available to members (a bit like a CSA), who we can build relationships with in terms of shopping preferences, and seek to establish refill, recycling and return options. If you're interested, please read the full Q&A below before getting in touch. 

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Questions & Answers

Q. 

What items does your online store sell?

As an established chemical free market garden, we grow a range of seasonal crops, such as carrots, salads, tomatoes, beetroot, chard, radish...a full seasonal list can be found below. These are all picked fresh to order. It is important to note that our produce is very much defined by the seasons and the weather - you wont have tomatoes in January - and during the deep winter months our fresh veg offerings can be limited. We also buy in a wide range of groceries from SUMA, with most food items being certified organic (these are clearly identified). We also focus on fair trade, cruelty free and refill options as well as vegan and gluten free. This includes items such as coffee, dairy, milk alternatives, tinned foods, snacks, muesli and cereal, toiletries, pasta, rice, chocolate, wine....and many, many more. You can literally do your full shop with us year round. Currently, we don't sell meat based products.

Q. 

Do you price competatively?

We believe our own grown produce is good value, and easily rivals supermarket organic counterparts. It's also fresher and local. The items we buy in from SUMA are all sold at, or below the Recommended Retail Price. Again, this is competitive with supermarket organic ranges.

Q. 

When, and how do you deliver?

Delivery costs just £2, and we have two weekly slots:

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  • Saturday 10.00am - 3.00pm

  • Tuesday 2.00pm - 6.00pm

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Aside from the traditional door knock, we also offer a "quick drop" service, where your shopping is left at your door, or another safe place, in sealed waterproof boxes - with insulation and ice boxes where appropriate. This ensures they can be left for several hours. You simply return these boxes at your next delivery. We encourage this option, as it is more efficient, and therefore more economical.

Q. 

What about refills and recycling?

One of the great benefits of this kind of scheme, is the ability to offer refills, and to recycle packaging back to the wholesaler. In terms of refills, we aim to buy in foods such as organic pasta and muesli in bulk, and then portion them into more typical weights, utilising reusable containers or biodegradable packaging. This is cheaper and more sustainable. Empty packaging and containers from general items, can be returned at the point of delivery, and we then send these back to SUMA for recycling or reuse. This is optional. 

Q. 

Where do you deliver, and how can I become a member?

These questions are linked - we currently deliver to a certain defined area, that roughly encompasses the triangle within Llanfyllin, Welshpool and Oswestry. We have provided a clear map below. Therefore, to be a member of the scheme, your delivery address needs to fall within this area. However, if you have a specific circumstance, such as a multi occupational house/co-op for example with larger orders, we could be flexible. We hope to expand this area in the future. To express an interest, please fill in the form below. The form asks some questions around shopping habits to help us plan..

Q. 

Are you certified organic?

The produce we grow in our market garden is chemical free, and grown using organic principles - however we have not undergone official certification due to the costs, bureaucracy and timescales. We may consider this in the future if our scale justifies this. We welcome visits from our customers, so we can explain our approach (see below around customer visits). The majority (almost all) of the items we buy in from SUMA are certified organic. Occasionally, fair trade items such as some chocolate brands are not certified organic, but this is always clear, and we support these businesses because they do good in other areas.

Q. 

Can we visit the farm?

As a member we offer you, as well as your family and friends, regular 1h tours of the farm as part of your membership. We set aside the last Saturday in every month between May and November to offer these tours, where members and their acquaintances can see how we do things, harvest some veg, and sow some seeds - its a great way to educate kids around no dig, organic and regenerative agriculture as well as see for yourself where your veg comes from. Booking required.

Q. 

Do I have to order every week, and is there a minimum order value?

No, you don't have to order every week, but the membership is designed around the spirit of a "regular" order. We have modelled the system for a weekly shop but you could, for example, order every other week - or at the very least put a large order in every month as a minimum. Any questions about this, just ask. Generally speaking, there is a minimum order of £40. Given we sell a wide range of items, we feel this is realistic and have to factor in delivery time etc. We also ask customers to bear in mind that our predominant income comes from our own grown produce, and to always consider incorporating these items into your order where possible.

Q. 

What if I want to end my membership?

It is absolutely fine to end your membership at any point - it is not a contract. We simply ask people to consider carefully that this system will suit their needs before joining. We completely understand things change, and we are really relaxed and realistic about this.

Q. 

Do you opperate a waiting list?

Yes, absolutely! We completely intend to scale this service, year on year, and welcome expressions of interest even when our current cohort is full. We can take on new members at any time, and people also drop out due to changing circumstances, so the membership is dynamic.

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Any more questions, please go to our contact page and feel free to contact us.

 

If you are interested in joining, please fill out the form below (it also gathers some generic market research) and we will be in touch...thank you!

Delivery area

Want to Join the revolution?

Food preferences - please click the items you are likely to buy
Wine, beers...
Pasta, rice
Cereals, muesli
Drinks, fresh juice, cordial
Tinned food - beans, lentils
Dried foods - beans, lentils
Cleaning products, toiletries
Fresh veg
Tinned veg
Cut flowers
Treats, biscuits, cake
Coffee, tea
Dairy - cheese, milk, butter
Frozen
Pantry - flour, baking
Gluten Free, Vegan
Average weekly grocery spend
£30 - £50
£50 - £70
£70 - £90
£90 +
Shop frequency
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly

See Pili-Pala Farm featured on the new Powys Green Guide video.

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Pili-Pala Farm

Smithy

Cwm Nant Y meichiaid

Llanfyllin, SY22 5NA

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