Unicorn is a worker grocery co-operative owned and run by its workforce and selling wholefood products.
All products are vegan and none of them have added sugar.
All fresh fruits, vegetable and alcohol are organic.
In case the organic variety is more expensive, it is not sold it unless there is a high demand.
Although their products are not all certified fair-trade, most of them are (click here for more information). A very large range of what the products is packed on site which makes them very competitive compared to traditional shops.
Unicorn is owned by 49 members including 5 of them in probation.
They are also about 15 casual people working most of the year.
Members and probationers are having contracted hours between 20-35. Among those members, 3 of them are disadvantaged having learning difficulties and entitled to the same rights as other members.
For Britta, a member who has been working at Unicorn for 4 years, working in a co-operative is a very different experience: “You can have a direct say in anything and there is not one person who thinks he/she knows everything and makes decisions about things, he/she might not even know about. In a co-op you can say something about everything but you can also trust and nominate other people to make certain decision who might not know about.
And there will always be another group of people who will make decisions. I also like that everyone has to do core tasks at Unicorn, i.e. work at the till, clean and pack our Unicorn food. I could go on and on about it. The achievements of Unicorn have been recognised by their customers, who voted it 'Best Independent Shop' in The Observer Food Monthly's 2008 awards.
For more information: www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk
