fbpx

📌 Shipping will be paused from Anzac day until 01.05.24. Orders will continue to be accepted during this time.

Dismiss

Breakfasts

Bulk Food Buying & Co-ops

Posted on by QuirkyJo

Buying food in bulk saves me a lot of money!

Buying basic ingredients in bulk, and using the Thermomix to cook from these basic ingredients instead of from packets and jars and tins, saves me so much money that we can afford to eat mostly organic. If you’re thinking, “Well, I can’t afford to buy organic,” you might be surprised – I usually find I pay less for my bulk organic produce than I would if I bought non-organic from the grocery store! (Note: I don’t always buy everything organic – if I can’t get organic, I at least try to buy local, preferably insecticide free. If I can’t afford the organic produce, I focus on avoiding the ones that are worst affected by pesticides – see this list.

I first became a part of a bulk food co-op about twelve years ago, when I became interested in using alternate grains and reducing wheat in my diet. I had bought a second hand stone grinder, and a kind lady gave me her own bread recipe using a mixture of stoneground flours. Back then I had no Thermomix to make bread making easier – I’d grind up the grains in my very noisy, messy grinder, then mix and knead the dough by hand – a big, messy job, and looking back I don’t know how I did it all with three small children and a baby wanting my attention! I started to learn about spelt and kamut and buckwheat and many more grains, and the same lady introduced me to a co-op she was a part of so I could buy them cheaply. I was so excited when I made my first bulk order – I think I must have ordered nearly everything there was to order, and ended up with way too much! I didn’t have a freezer big enough to store it all, so I stored most of it in airtight plastic containers… but a lot of it ended up all ‘weevily’, so maybe the containers weren’t too airtight! So now it’s twelve years down the track and I still get excited when I get my bulk order – it’s like Christmas has come, with lots of packages and boxes full of lovely things.

If you’re new to the concept of a bulk food co-op, here’s a definition in a nutshell:

A co-op is a group of people who voluntarily work together to provide quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost to the group, rather than buying goods and services from businesses whose aim is to sell at the highest possible price that the consumer is willing to pay!

I’ve got nothing against businesses making a profit – they wouldn’t have a business if they didn’t – but if I can get it cheaper somewhere else, I will! That’s the beauty of free enterprise.

I’m a firm believer that you can eat healthy on a budget. If you don’t have access to a co-op, you could either start one, or you could buy bulk online or from your local health food shop. It always helps to get a few friends to do an order with you – ask businesses for a bulk price even if it’s not advertised, and see what they can do for you.

Here are a list of online suppliers that will mail Australia wide, so just compare prices of what you’re looking for and see who suits you best.

Organics on a Budget

Biodistributors

Honest to Goodness

Eden Health Foods 

2 Brothers Foods

Good Food Warehouse 

Kombu Wholefoods

Kialla

Santos

Wheat Free World

Green Caravan (a co-op and online store)

Bulk Food Co-ops

I buy through three different local co-ops – one co-op buys direct from Demeter Farm Mill (Honest to Goodness is their online store) and Fitness Products – organic grains, seeds, flours, oils, pasta, dried fruits, and all the other basics. One buys from Trumps– nuts, dried fruit, seeds and some flours. And one is a local CSA, The Realfood Network, for fresh, local, mostly organic fruit and vegetables. I also buy some fruit and veges from the local shops or markets.

I also buy meat in bulk whenever I can. We have a wonderful local butcher shop where the meat is grass fed and practically organic (not certified), and they also sell organic chickens. Sometimes I get meat in bulk from friends who’ve had a beast butchered. I also buy fish in bulk for about $10/kg (eg. Barramundi & King Salmon) from local fishermen. (For some great ideas on saving money by buying your meat in bulk, see this article by Rhonda at Down to Earth: Saving Money on Meat – Buying in Bulk.)

For a list of bulk food co-ops, community food co-op shops, and places to buy bulk, see my Quirky Cooking Facebook Page– and feel free to add more links in the comments, which I will add to the list.

Pantry Staples 

Two of the questions I’ve been asked a lot are ‘what do you order’, and ‘what do you like to always have on hand in your pantry or freezer?’ So here’s a list of the kinds of things I order, and always try to keep stocked up on. (I’m not coeliac, but I do find my body prefers a very low gluten, low grain diet, so I use some grains, but mostly seeds, nuts and non-grain flours.)

Grains & Flours:

– Spelt grain, unbleached plain spelt flour, buckwheat grain, millet, quinoa, oats, quinoa flakes, brown rice, basmati rice, arrowroot flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/tapioca, chickpeas (for making flour), sorghum flour, cornstarch (now & then), coconut flour (or I make my own)

Sweeteners:

– Rapadura, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, raw honey, pure maple syrup, green stevia powder, rice malt syrup, xylitol & yacon syrup (now & then)

Dried Fruit: 

– Dates (dried & raw), sultanas, apricots (now & then), shredded coconut  

(I have a dehydrator and can dry my own in-season fruits, especially bananas & mangoes, but I do buy some)

Nuts & Seeds:

– Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, linseeds, chia seeds, pine nuts & pistachios (now & then) – (I buy all my nuts and seeds raw, although I often buy blanched almonds as well for dairy free sour cream or milks)

Legumes:

– Chickpeas, lentils (red & green), lima beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, turtle beans – (I also buy other beans in small amounts from the grocery store as I need them, sometimes tinned, sometimes dry) 

Oils:

– Extra virgin olive oil, macadamia oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, sesame oil (all organic cold pressed if possible), and ghee (sometimes make my own) 

Other:

– Raw cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, additive free baking powder, shoyu or tamari sauce, coarse celtic sea salt, himalayan salt, coconut cream, raw cacao butter (for making chocolate)

I only have a very small kitchen, and a small pantry cupboard. I store my grains, flours, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in my large chest freezer. This keeps them fresh and stops them getting mouldy or weevily… We live in the wet tropics, so you really can’t leave grains and flours just sitting in the cupboard for long periods of time – they’ll turn green and cobwebby!

If you don’t have a large freezer and can’t store your bulk foods this way, check out some other storage ideas that my friend Bel explains here: Storage Tips for Bulk Buying – Guest Post.

Starting a Co-op in your area:

 A lot of people would love to order through a local co-op, but can’t find one in their area. Well, I always say, if you can’t find one, start one!

 – Get the word out to friends, family, co-workers, and fellow ‘Thermomixers’ that you’re interested in starting a co-op. Try and get a good sized group together, but even five or ten people are enough to start with – our co-op started off small and now has about 100 people in it.

– Contact the large suppliers (see list above) and ask how you would go about ordering through them, what the freight charges are, etc. The bigger the order, the less freight you’ll have to pay – which is why we only order 3 or 4 times a year.

– You will need someone who’s willing to be in charge of the co-op, collate the orders, get the order to the suppliers, send out emails, get payments in, organize dividing up the order, etc. You’ll also need a large covered garage or verandah or room where you can divide the shipment into each person’s orders. The person doing the organizing should charge a small fee for his/her time – for example, a 3% surcharge on each order as a ‘membership fee’. This covers stationery and materials, computer maintenance, small discrepancies in orders that aren’t worth chasing up, and the time spent handling finances. A small discount can be given to those who help divide up the order, such as $10 off their bill. 

– It’s easiest if everyone orders in 1kg, 5kg or 12.5kg lots (or whatever size bags the produce comes in) – it makes dividing up the shipment a lot quicker! We used to order big 25kg bags of everything, then spend most of a day weighing out everyone’s orders into bags, and trying to work out costs, and it was a real headache. Now we sort the bags/boxes into piles of what it is (spelt grain, Rapadura, etc) and those helping go through each persons’ list and puts their bags/boxes into a pile, someone else checks it, and it’s done! Much easier. No weighing and dividing and bagging things up. But if people want to divide a bag with friends, they can always get one person to order the whole bag, then take it home and weigh it out there, and sort out payment amongst themselves.

– We have sub-groups in our co-op, divided by suburbs/towns, with up to 10 people in each group. The person in charge of each group collates the groups’ orders and sends them in to the organizer of the co-op. The organizer collates all the orders into one big order and sends it off. Once the shipment arrives, everyone’s invoices are emailed to them and they pay the organizer by direct deposit. Payments must be made within a couple of days. Once all payments are received, the organizer pays the supplier. (We have a computer program that was made specifically for our co-op, and that’s been a big help in organizing things.)

– We divide up the shipment as soon as possible after it arrives. Everyone who can comes to help with dividing up and delivering the orders – it’s quite a social activity! Then we all go home loaded up with goodies. So much fun!

This might sound like a lot of work, but if it’s well organized it will run smoothly, and it’s really worth the trouble. If you have any questions that I haven’t covered, let me know and I’ll try and help. I think food co-ops are a great way to go for those of us who want to go back to basic ingredients, buy organic foods, and save money!

QuirkyJo

79 thoughts on “Bulk Food Buying & Co-ops”

  1. Kelly West says:

    Fantastic Jo!!! Thank you for taking the time and educating us!!! That is how we eat as well!!!
    love it love it love it!!!!!!
    take care, kelly!!!

    Reply
  2. julie says:

    I’m keen to join a co-op, or start one if necessary. I’m in Cashmare, northside of Brisbane.

    Thanks for the idea!

    cheers,
    Julie

    Reply
  4. Green Caravan says:

    Wonderful that you share your knowledge Jo! We are a newer co-op. We first started with eco products which our members buy online at a cheaper price. Our foods list will be finished this week so if anyone would like to join our members, head to http://www.greencaravan.com.au and select the tab ‘CONTACT US’. Our orders are placed every one-two months at this stage.

    Received my new tmx last week – Loving your recipes!

    Olivia x

    Reply
  5. Jo Whitton says:

    Thank you Olivia!! That’s great to hear of another co-op – where are you based? It will be great to get a list together of co-ops so we can all help each other out. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Green Caravan says:

    I agree! We are in Manly Brisbane, but do ship nationally on most items ($5 up to 15kg). Our fortnightly e-zine shares alot of direct supply contacts like organic meats, sewing fabrics etc and any online stores having clearance sales – that may be helpful? Its great to be able to help each other out, stay eco and save money!

    p.s just made your flour free brownies – glorious!

    Reply
  7. Regina says:

    Thank you for all the information, Jo. I would be very interested in either joining or starting a co-op in Perth, WA.
    Greetings,
    Regina

    Reply
  8. Cat J B says:

    Oooh, love to know if there’s one down my way….Melbourne anyone? Or if anyone down here is wanting to get together and start one up, I’d definitely be interested!

    Reply
  10. Jo Whitton says:

    Thanks to all who have left comments here about co-ops – I know of one going that’s going in Geraldton WA, and one that’s being started in Perth; so Regina you may want to contact me so I can get you connected to one of those?

    Reply
  11. Jo Whitton says:

    Ryan, I haven’t heard of one in Tassie yet, but I know people who buy through Biodistributors down there, and are really happy with their prices and service. (They are in Tassie.) You might want to check out their prices?

    Reply
  12. KylieB says:

    Hi

    Do you know if there is Co-op in the Toowoomba area or where I would go to look. Thankyou for your help. Just new to the thermomix but loving your receipes. Cheers.

    Reply
  13. Jo Whitton says:

    Hi Kylie, great to hear you’re enjoying my recipes with your new Thermomix!! 😀 I’m going to post a list of co-ops and requests for co-ops on my Facebook page, hopefully tonight – haven’t seen one for Toowoomba yet, but the Green Caravan may be good – that or the Good Food Warehouse. Have a look at their sites for prices. Jo 🙂

    Reply
  14. Jo says:

    I have just found this blog and think it’s fantastic! I am in Perth and am interested in finding a co-op, would love any details if you have them. Would also love a Thermomix and am still working on that one!

    Reply
  15. Jo Whitton says:

    Hi Jo! Thank you, glad you’re enjoying my blog 🙂 Have you had a look on my Facebook page at all? We’ve talked a lot over there about what co-ops are available where. There are a couple around Perth. One is supposed to have started at Murdoch Uni, one at Lockridge, and one at Geraldton. I think there was another, must check my info. I’ll work on a list today to post to my facebook page. 🙂

    Reply
  16. Jenny says:

    ON the Central Coast of NSW (Wyong and Ourimbah) I use FIG (Food Integrity Group) if anyone is interested…..organic fruit and vegie co-op once a week. Monday at Ourimbah and Tuesday at Wyong.

    Reply
  21. Jo Whitton says:

    You could try these places in South Australia:
    * Flinders Uni Organic Food Co-op – happens just outside the front of Wholefoods store
    * Adelaide Uni Magill Campus Food Co-op
    * Goodwood Waste Not Want Not Co-op in Clarence Park, 107 Goodwood Road, http://www.thegreendirectory.com.au/eco-friendly-clients/WasteNot-WantNot/The-Waste-Not-Want-Not-Shop.html
    * Clarence Park Food Co-op, corner East Ave and Canterbury Tce, Blackforest, phone 05 8292 8166 or 05 8297 6240
    * Inner Southern Food Co-op

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says:

    Hi Jo
    Great information. My daughter directed me to your website. She has just started her own co-op in East Cranbourne in Victoria.
    Very excited receiving her first bulk order.
    Are there any co-ops on the Gold Coast? Would love to start one myself if not.
    Don’t have a Thermomix, but is at the top of my ‘wish list’ when I can afford it. My daughter swears by hers and I used it when we visted over Christmas and I am totally hooked!
    Cheers
    Barbara

    Reply
    • Anonymous says:

      I am not too far from your daughter! Would love to join a co-op. are you able to either give me her details or something so I could join with them? Providing there is availability of course!! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
    • Di says:

      Hi Barbara, I know it’s been quite some time since you posted but does your daughter still have the co-op in Cranbourne East. I’d love to be involved with that.

      Reply
  25. celine says:

    Hi Jo, We have a great co-op running in Hervey Bay, Qld. We order fruit and veges weekly and grains/nuts etc monthly. Anyone interested in joining please email [email protected]

    Love your blog btw…… !

    thanks
    Celine

    Reply
  27. lisa says:

    Hi,Im very interested in joining a group.Do you know if there is one in Perth Western Australia ? Im in the northern suburbs.

    Reply
  28. Anonymous says:

    Hi. Just wondering who you buy your sorghum flour from. Can’t seem to find a supplier. Cheers.

    Reply
  30. Kim C says:

    Hi there,

    I am desperately looking for a co-op to join here in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne (Doreen)…could someone please help me out and point me in the right direction. I have been on the hunt for one for the past year & have toyed with the idea of starting one, but time is an issue for me at the moment. Would be grateful for any feedback.

    Cheers,

    Kim

    Reply
  31. Sally Smith says:

    Hey there,

    I just started up a co-op in IPSWICH and I have a delivery point in BRISBANE as well. If anyone is interested please email [email protected]

    We just did our first order and it was great!

    Anyone is welcome as long as you are willing to travel to pick up your goodies from either locations!

    Love your blog!!!

    Sally

    Reply
  34. aussiebeachgirl says:

    To Julie from Cashmere – Samford Village has an online organic shop called Fresh Local which is situated near the Post office. They cover the whole Samford Valley right through to Dayboro, and also includes Cashmere – so it could be tricky trying to break into the ‘market’ from your location. Just a thought. H 🙂

    Reply
  35. Anonymous says:

    Hi Jo, love your blog but have a few silly questions. You store your foods in chest freezer, is this operational or just a storage container? Do the flours / nuts freeze? Do you keep items in their original packaging or put into other bags/containers? Thanks, Ellie

    Reply
  37. Helen says:

    Can I just say, INDIAN SHOPS are awesome for this kind of thing! Really cheap and really good stuff. Your local Indian grocery store won’t stock organic, I’ll admit, but it will stock reasonably priced nuts, seeds, lentils, pulses, legumes, spices, dried fruits, flour, millet flour, chickpea flour, and oils, as well as unusual but healthy ingredients like coconuts and palm sugar. Usually Indian shops buy these things in huge quantities and then bag them up themselves, so they can sell to the Indian community (and me) at really cheap prices, which is kind of like a co-op anyway. For example, half a kilo of cashews costs me $7, and a kilo of beans or lentils around $2-3. My local Indian grocery is All India Foods in Balaclava St, Woolloongabba (Brisbane). Highly recommended. Hope this helps somebody out!

    Reply
  39. Sonia van Huisstede says:

    For anyone looking for an organic food co-op buying group in Newcastle/Hunter Valley consider The Healthful Pantry – find us on facebook. We stared as a small group of health minded people and now are a large group working together to supply organic and and natural products.

    Reply
  42. LadyLeaves says:

    Hi there 🙂 I am liking your blog a lot. I haven’t got a theromix…yet…*sigh* You are in the tropics… Are you higher than Mackay?? I would love to find a co op up this way. Have you any tips for this end of town?? Ta

    Reply
  45. Wendy and Marcus says:

    Such great information Jo. You inspired me last year to set up a Co-Op, as I couldn’t find one! Sharing Organics Co-Operative Melbourne Eastern Suburbs ! We are on Facebook, look us up!

    Reply
  46. Mama Going Natural says:

    Thank you so much for the information on co-ops.
    You have inspired me, its exactly what we need on the Fraser Coast, so we can eat well with out breaking the bank.
    I need to stop reading your blog! & get to work on setting up a co-op 🙂

    Reply
  47. Beck Andrew says:

    Hi Jo, I just saw your miessence affiliate on your blog ! I love Miessence ! I have been with them for 4years…. and like you I just love love foodies ! My husband & bought into a farm share & invested in the security of the future of our food… and we love it, but before the farm starts producing a lot, we were in a coop. So that coop closed. So like a reflex I started one, last sept / oct. Boy o Boy its long hours, but I do enjoy it….
    Thanks for your inspiring creations… one day I will have a thermie – how cool if it were to be solar !
    *raising eyebrows* Anyways, since you’re encouraging coops, I thought I would let you & your readers know about our buyers group on the Gold Coast of Qld. We have branched out from Robina to Ormeau & Tweed Heads now ! Which is so exciting !
    http://beanvision.com/robinabuyersgroup/

    Reply
  48. Anonymous says:

    I would like to know of any Gold COast co-ops or of any that deliver to the Gold Coast 🙂 Thank you

    Reply
  49. Anonymous says:

    Im starting a co-op in Melbourne but my Dad is concerned about liability and other issues!! I didnt even think about all those things. Can you tell me what issues may arise that I mightnt have thought about? The biggest one I can see is following up payment? Is it better to get everyone to pay before receiving their order?
    Thank you!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *