What's Hot & What's Not, feat. Plentiful Wholefoods
Abbie Sellers from Plentiful Wholefoods in Ramsbottom shares the store’s highest flyers (from grass-fed dairy to low-sulphur wine) and slowest movers (from meat alternatives to multivits).
What’s Hot: Grass-fed
We’ve always stocked organic, grass-fed dairy — either from local farms or Acorn Dairy in Darlington — but recently demand has soared. Sales of Acorn milk and butter have doubled. We even saw customers gifting butter to teachers over Christmas.
The recent news around Boever cow feed has made people more cautious about their food sources, driving interest in high-quality dairy. More than ever, customers are looking to add nutrients rather than cut fats and calories. Plus, it tastes incredible. Supporting small-scale farmers aligns perfectly with our ethos, and we love seeing customers prioritize both ethics and flavour.
What’s Hot: Low-sulphur
This was a new range for us, and we were surprised by how many customers were already familiar with organic and low-sulphur wines. Our biggest seller? Running Duck, which caught us off guard since its packaging is quite traditional. There’s growing skepticism toward supermarkets and the ‘profit before health’ mentality, making people more mindful of what’s in their drink. Despite economic pressures, people will always want a ‘little treat’ even if they can’t justify big holidays and more expensive purchases. A bottle of organic red on a Friday night — with fewer headache-inducing additives — is proving to be exactly what people want.
What’s Hot: Turmeric root
Turmeric’s benefits as an anti-inflammatory have been widely known for a while, but now it’s become a lot more mainstream. Usually both men and women over 40/50 are using it to support their health, lower cholesterol and reduce joint pain. We’re seeing less people buying turmeric supplements and curcumin, instead opting for fresh, organic root. Now that there’s far more awareness of ‘golden milk’ and what to actually do with turmeric (smoothies, curries, teas, shots) people are much more keen to purchase it. While it’s not our most profitable product (people tend to buy just 70g at a time) it’s a key item that sets us apart from supermarkets and keeps customers returning.
What’s Not: Alt-meat
We’re seeing a dip in meat replacements such as seitan, braised tofu and ‘tunah’. The exception however is fresh, locally made tofu from Clearspot. Our customers are starting to see vegetables as the main part of their plant-based dishes, which is great for them and great for health too. We’ve never advertised as a vegan or veggie store, but we naturally do get a lot of people with a more plant-based diet. I think organic, wholefoods and plant-based tend to go hand in hand. We find that customers who care about organic and wholefoods are also conscious of ultra-processed ingredients, making them less likely to reach for imitation meats.
What’s Not: Multivits
We’re a big fan of Viridian for our range of vitamins and when we started stocking them the most obvious starter product was their multivitamin. Sales were good, but since adding in a wider range of Viridian vitamins, such as vitamin D, B12, CoQ10, magnesium, menopause supplements and specific vitamins for age categories, our customers have been able to specifically target where they wish to improve. Customers now prefer tailored nutrition rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. We love this shift; it shows people are taking real ownership of their health and choosing what works best for their bodies rather than opting for a generic fix.
What’s Not: Rapeseed oil
With many customers now avoiding seed oils, we're seeing a decline even in organic, cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Since studies have shown that olive oil is indeed safe to cook with (unless at very high temperatures) we are seeing customers switch good quality olive and avocado oil. We recently discontinued our rapeseed oil; despite it being brilliant quality, it just didn't have the demand anymore. Plus, supermarkets are now stocking cheaper alternatives to our organic, cold-pressed brand. Avocado oil is gaining traction as a versatile, nutrient-rich alternative. We expect to see continued interest in traditional fats like ghee and coconut oil.
By Abbie Sellers, Plentiful Wholefoods