Draft:Essential Trading Co-operative

Essential Trading is a workers co-operative and wholefood wholesaler based in Bristol, England. It is one of the largest independent wholefood wholesalers in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the largest worker-owned co-operatives in the UK. Essential specialises in vegan, vegetarian, fairly traded, organic, ethical, ecological and natural food, toiletries and household products.

As a worker co-operative Essential Trading is directly owned and controlled by its workers through a directly elected management committee and quarterly general meetings. The co-operative abides by the seven co-operative priniciples. Essential operates a flat management structure and a system of rotating the co-operative's directly elected managers. Essential has many similarities with Suma, a worker co-operative in West Yorkshire and Greencity, a worker co-operative in Scotland.

In 2022 the co-operative reported an annual turnover of £17 million and has 93 employee-members.

History
Essential's history began in 1971 when the first Harvest wholefoods store opened in Bath, England.

In 1991, Harvest — trading under the name Bath Wholefood Company — merged with Nova Wholefoods to form Essential Trading.