Six new suppliers are set to hit Co-op shelves following the latest round of its accelerated support scheme.
The search for small businesses to join the Apiary programme began at the start of 2023, with products launching in almost 300 stores from this week.
Successful suppliers include Black Milk, which will offer its Hazelnut Cream, Pistachio Cream and White Chocolate sweet spreads, and Blue Turaco which supplies Robusta Ground coffee and Robusta Wholebean coffee sourced directly from small coffee-farming communities in Uganda.
With each purchase of Blue Turaco’s coffee, a Ugandan village school will be provided with lunches to help fight hunger.
Other new suppliers include ready-to-drink tea latte brand HumaniTea offering Cold Brew Matcha and Cold Brew Earl Grey, Lo-cal – a light, cloudy beer brewed with fewer calories, and Wilderbee Hot Honey.
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Revibed Drinks’ superfood infused water with zero sugar and less than 10 Kcal per can will also be hitting Co-op shelves in Fruit and Ginger, Raspberry and Acai, and Peach and Hibiscus flavours, with 1% of profits donated to suicide prevention charity CALM.
Co-op head of commercial for drinks, frozen, community buying and the Apiary, Rebecca Oliver-Mooney, said: “Seeing successful new businesses hit Co-op shelves is always an exciting and rewarding time for our Apriary programme.
“We have been on a fantastic journey with these suppliers throughout the year, which builds on the successful launch of our first wave of suppliers through the Apiary programme which has seen suppliers develop their products and brand and gain permanent listings.
“We are delighted to reach this key milestone where the products are now on-shelf – we believe the suppliers all offer a real point of difference to interest, enthuse and excite Co-op Members and customers in our communities.”
This comes as Urban Rajah, which secured listings in Co-op through the previous round of its Apiary scheme, is set to see its burito wraps becoming part of the convenience retailers premium meal deal offer.
