Image Credit: Alyssa Berry. Sara’s Sweets shop in Winton
A man who is selling fruit and vegetables from his sweet shop in Winton says he wanted to help his community eat quality healthy food.
Sean and Sara Davies, who own Sara’s Sweets on Parrin Lane, began selling fresh fruit and vegetables again at the beginning of the year.
Sara said: “It was mainly for the older people so they could buy one carrot or one onion instead of going to the supermarket and having to buy multiple”.
The couple from Winton said they started the venture because “it’s something to do with our retirement that we both enjoy doing, and something valuable for the community”.
Sara said: “We started selling sweets from a barrow outside Walkden supermarket, and then in a couple of weeks we had two barrows and then within a month we had this shop.”
Sean said: “I thought, why don’t we open that to sell sweets from and I’ll sell my fruit and veg from outside, so that’s exactly what we did.”
Sean originally started selling fruit and vegetables last year but said he struggled to sell and make the business “take off”.
He said he wanted to continue the business but “ethically, I couldn’t deal with bringing food in to then throw it away”.
Sean said: “One customer called John said, it’s a problem you stopping this because I can’t go back to where I went before, because he’d wrote a letter to the manager”
“He said if this little shop can consistently get this quality day in day out, why can’t you?”
Sean said he reached out to the community on Facebook for help because he didn’t want to give up.
He received 62 comments with ideas from the community and words of support for the small business.
Sean said: “it was social media that got us to start again, the community wanted it”.
Sara’s Sweets now offers fruit and vegetable boxes alongside loose items from the front of their shop and online with free delivery.
Sean said: “I used to go to the fruit market twice and now I’m going five times a week”
“We are working on minimal profit margins but it’s not about that”
“I get more of a sense of achievement and sense of gratitude when I’ve seen the old ladies coming past and buying something.”
Sean said the feedback they have received has been very positive and the community has been supportive.
He said: “I’ve had customers say it’s fantastic because as their wives are picking the fruit and veg, they’re inside getting sweets”
“Everyone who’s been in to see us says its great and they love it!”
After the positive responses from the community Sean said he has plans to develop Sara’s Sweets even more.
He said: “Our next project is vegan foods; I want to work with the vegan people in the community and ask them how to go ahead with this.”
Sara’s Sweets is located at 44 Parrin Lane M30 8BD, or online at saras-sweets.co.uk.
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