Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is part 2 of an interview with Debbie Clarke of Unicorn Grocery – a co-operative grocery store in Manchester. In Part 1 - youtube.com/watch?v=opieTxN8_Ts&t=1s - I talked with Debbie about what it’s like to work in a co-operative grocery. Here we talk about the guide that her co-op has produced for people who might be interested in starting a co-operative grocery in their town – as well as how to develop the co-operative economy generally.
We’re interviewing key players in the new economy, to:
a) bring their work to a wider audience
b) try to find ways to co-ordinate their efforts
c) stimulate debate
d) help to grow the new economy.
Here’s what we mean by new economy - lowimpact.org/lowimpact-topic/new-economy
Lowimpact.org: lowimpact.org
Open Credit Network: https://opencredit.network/
NonCorporate.org: noncorporate.org
Unicorn Grocery: https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/
Here's a transcript of the interview, with links to organisations mentioned in the video: lowimpact.org/grow-your-own-grocery-debbie-clarke-unicorn-grocery
Thanks also to the Open Co-op: https://open.coop/
Highlights
1. Our guide to starting a co-op grocery is on the website - it's called ‘Grow your own Grocery’ so if you get onto our website and and search for that that would be a great place to start. It's free and there's loads of information in there; then having digested all that which might take a while get in touch with us if you've got other questions.
2. Our advice would be to really think about whether you want to be a grocer, because at the end of the day that is what we are. I mean it's it's more than that because we're co-operators, but essentially you have to like food and like customer service, because that's the trade.
3. We have really nice relationships with a lot of the other wholefood worker coops in the UK, and the wholefood wholesalers as well, like Suma and Essential and Infinity.
4. Co-ops are loved by the left, but they can also be cherished by the right in a sense because they're about people doing it for themselves and I think there have been moves from the government to be more flexible about the way coops and mutuals might be able to get involved in the provision of public services.
This is part 2 of an interview with Debbie Clarke of Unicorn Grocery – a co-operative grocery store in Manchester. In Part 1 - youtube.com/watch?v=opieTxN8_Ts&t=1s - I talked with Debbie about what it’s like to work in a co-operative grocery. Here we talk about the guide that her co-op has produced for people who might be interested in starting a co-operative grocery in their town – as well as how to develop the co-operative economy generally.
We’re interviewing key players in the new economy, to:
a) bring their work to a wider audience
b) try to find ways to co-ordinate their efforts
c) stimulate debate
d) help to grow the new economy.
Here’s what we mean by new economy - lowimpact.org/lowimpact-topic/new-economy
Lowimpact.org: lowimpact.org
Open Credit Network: https://opencredit.network/
NonCorporate.org: noncorporate.org
Unicorn Grocery: https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/
Here's a transcript of the interview, with links to organisations mentioned in the video: lowimpact.org/grow-your-own-grocery-debbie-clarke-unicorn-grocery
Thanks also to the Open Co-op: https://open.coop/
Highlights
1. Our guide to starting a co-op grocery is on the website - it's called ‘Grow your own Grocery’ so if you get onto our website and and search for that that would be a great place to start. It's free and there's loads of information in there; then having digested all that which might take a while get in touch with us if you've got other questions.
2. Our advice would be to really think about whether you want to be a grocer, because at the end of the day that is what we are. I mean it's it's more than that because we're co-operators, but essentially you have to like food and like customer service, because that's the trade.
3. We have really nice relationships with a lot of the other wholefood worker coops in the UK, and the wholefood wholesalers as well, like Suma and Essential and Infinity.
4. Co-ops are loved by the left, but they can also be cherished by the right in a sense because they're about people doing it for themselves and I think there have been moves from the government to be more flexible about the way coops and mutuals might be able to get involved in the provision of public services.
