Triangle Wholefoods Collective Limited | |
Trading Name: | Suma |
Type: | Worker co-operative |
Area Served: | United Kingdom |
Industry: | Wholesaler |
Products: | Whole food, organic food and natural products |
Revenue: | £58.7 million (2019) |
Members: | 200 employee-owners (2019) |
Homepage: | suma.coop |
Location City: | Elland, West Yorkshire |
Location Country: | United Kingdom |
Suma is the trading name of the Triangle Wholefoods Collective Limited, a worker co-operative wholefoods wholesaler. It was founded in Leeds in 1977 and is now based in Elland, West Yorkshire. It is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler in the United Kingdom[1] as well as the country's largest common ownership co-operative. The co-operative specializes in vegetarian, fairly traded, organic, ethical, ecological and natural products.
Its turnover for the year ending 2019 was reported as £54 million, ranking it 49th among British co-operatives.[2] [3]
Suma was started in 1975 by Reg Tayler, who had worked with wholefoods in London. In Leeds, he opened a retail shop. In August 1975, at a meeting with all the wholefood shops in the north of England, he proposed they set up wholefoods wholesaling co-operative in order to supply each other.