This article was first published in GENESIS Issue XXVIII, May 22, 1998.

David joined the Phoenix team in October 1990. Originally from London he has run whole-food stores in Wales, the Channel Islands, Canada and the States. He has been the manager of The Phoenix for the past seven years.

From the bakers at sunrise to the cleaners at sunset the typical Phoenix day is both long and busy but is inspired by the belief that community food shops nourish the health of that community. As with the local school or church the local shop gives an identity to a region and is an integral part of its infrastructure. By its buying policies the local shop can also create employment in the region and stimulate the growth of local skills and culture.

‘Running a shop is not just about what we sell and why we sell it’

The Phoenix Bakery is a good example. It now employs 3 people. By next year we expect it to be 5-6. Everyday Trevor and the bakery team make hundreds of fresh organic breads for the shop and other local enterprises. We make each loaf from scratch using just flour, water and yeast or sour dough starter, no improvers, no preservatives, no flavour enhancers. Learning to make good bread is a skill recognised all over the world. One day we hope to use some local grain and mill it ourselves. Each step creates more jobs and more local identity to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Yes, it costs us as individual consumers a little more but the community wealth is enriched and nourished by the project.

As the day unfolds the story continues. Fresh fruit and vegetables from Robbie at the Fruit Orchard, milk from Mr Stewart at Allaburn Dairy, croissants from Jean-Luc, groceries from Highland Wholefoods, eggs and cheese from our community farm at Wester Lawrenceton.

So, despite the limitations of climate and location our first priorities in food selection are organic farming, local supply and fair trade production. Whilst organic farming and local supply are increasingly being recognised as worthwhile initiatives fair trade is a new and more complex subject. Over the past year customers of the Phoenix will have seen an increasing number of products with an ‘F’ logo on their packaging. This signifies the product has met the trading criteria of the Fairtrade Foundation. This ‘F’ mark helps to ensure that the quality of life of the people that grow the crops are as valued as the crop itself. More and more organic food companies in particular are recognising that you need healthy people to grow healthy crops. So the Fairtrade Foundation not only encourages a fair price for the farmer but also for the farm labourer, the development of local education and healthcare facilities, ownership of local resources etc.

Running a shop however, is not just about what we sell and why we sell it. There is of course who we sell it to. From a small foundation centred enterprise the Phoenix has over the years grown into a business that now serves not only the Foundation Community but also the local region, guests and tourists. Working on the till is certainly a league of nations experience with Findhorn villagers queuing up with South Africans. French staff serving Norwegian customers, and people on a day trip from Aberdeen mixing with people on an annual trip from Brazil or Japan not to mention the other 60 odd nationalities we served last year. We believe that much of our success is dependent on our willingness to be friendly and helpful to our customers and hope that the Phoenix has served as an informal meeting ground for Findhorn villagers and the Foundation Community. Long may it continue.

As for future days, we wish to continue to support projects like the farm and our bakery that create skills and jobs. We hope to expand that job creation into the local area and hope that it will help some of the young people in the district. We intend to smarten up our premises in the next year and also will be offering our customers a bigger share in the running of the shop and its ownership.

Long days, yes but very rewarding ones too.