Growing Organically since 1983, what better place to highlight during Organic September than Pillars of Hercules! From the farm shop, veg box delivery scheme, and onsite bothy, to the vegetarian café (making use of home-grown fruit & veg, served in a leafy outdoor setting!), this Fife institution has so much to offer. We found out more with our Six Questions...
1. What’s the history of Pillars?
It started with one polytunnel, on a few acres of land, in 1983. Over the years Bruce Bennett and his family have worked hard on the land, improving the soil, adding more tunnels, delivering veg boxes around Fife and selling wholefoods and their veg in the shop.
Opening the café in 2001 was the next stage in expanding the business and the presence of organic produce in Fife. It greatly increased customer visits and introduced more local people to organic veg and wholefoods.
Pillars is now a thriving, well regarded hub for organic produce. With a plant shop, campsite, walks, events and community-minded support, Pillars is continually expanding and growing.
2. What attracts people to Pillars? Do you have a typical customer base?
Pillars has become a bit of a meeting place for like-minded folk, with a noticeboard offering courses and events. Being 100% organic, the shop and the café attract people from quite a distance and we see a good mix of repeat and new customers through our doors - some have been coming for over 30 years!
Our welcoming environment and consistent quality of produce means we are a safe bet for our customers. The shop now stocks around 1000 organic grocery lines, from meat, wines, nuts and seeds, home baked bread, eggs from our own hens and many types of flour.
We also do what we can to support our local community in a variety of ways. From helping local suppliers to get established, welcoming school and college groups onto the farm for tours, work experience, or camping trips, or collecting food for the local food bank.
3. The past 18 months will always be remembered for Covid. What effect has this had on the café and the shop?
We managed to stay trading because we adapted fast to the Covid-19 crisis, back in March 2020. We launched our online shop and delivery service, alongside our existing veg-box scheme, to help vulnerable and shielding customers. This has proven extremely successful and is a popular part of the Pillars shopping experience.
The closure of our indoor café meant we had space to expand our shop, which shares the building. Our café, when safe to do so, reopened as an outdoor service only. We offered seating, both undercover and out, as well as erecting a marquee for the calmer weather. This balance of larger shop, outdoor café and minor changes to our menu has worked very well for our customers and the Pillars business.
4. It’s Organic September. As an organic business, do you think the demand for organic food is increasing?
We have been trading now for nearly 40 years as an organic farm shop and cafe and each year the demand for good quality organic and local produce has grown. Our customer base grows year on year, with a large percentage being repeat customers. Our customers know they can expect quality, ethically sourced food from trusted suppliers.
5. Have you noticed a change to diets, new trends over the last few years?
Since almost everyone has access to social media now, it is easier to follow different diets for health reasons and new trends. Our customers are better able to research diets that work for them and their lifestyles, ethos, needs, or beliefs.
6. Why do you use Greencity as a wholesaler?
We use Greencity Wholefoods because they offer a fantastic variety of ethically sourced, organic, Fairtrade and local produce. They tick all the boxes that are important to Pillars of Hercules as a business and a trusted source for our customers.
Thank you to Alison at Pillars for answering our questions - find out more at www.pillars.co.uk
