Cooperatives Yorkshire and Humber

Local Company to Supply Rainbow Warrior

The Elland based co-operative, Suma, the UK's largest independent wholefood wholesaler & distributor has been awarded the contract to re-supply The Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's famous floating environmental flagship.

Commenting on the news, Paul Collins of Suma said, "We are absolutely
delighted to have been chosen to supply a considerable range of our
ethically sourced products to Rainbow Warrior to re-stock her prior to
another voyage. Greenpeace originally contacted us in early September
requesting a catalogue and from there things moved very quickly with them sending in their order via one of our downloadable order forms."

Explaining the logistics of the supply Paul said, "We are on a very tight schedule with Greenpeace as their time in port is limited. We will be making our delivery at Canary Wharf on the Thames on October 20th and at that time meeting up with the Captain Mike Fincken. He has agreed to be interviewed for a feature in our next catalogue which should make for very interesting reading. Rainbow Warrior's Cook, Miguel, will also be talking with us and no doubt seeking the best ways to prepare all the foodstuff we are delivering and discussing some of our menus. We're really looking forward to the event and hoping to learn a little more about what Greenpeace have planned for the
following months and their recent achievements."

Asked why Suma had been chosen by Greenpeace Paul added, "As well as
offering a vast range of excellent products, Suma believes in conducting its business affairs in an environmentally sound and ethical way. From the way we heat and light our premises, to the structure of our workforce and the wages paid to our aduki bean growers in Brazil, ethical trading is a recurring theme in every aspect of the Suma brand. I'm sure this will have struck a cord with the Greenpeace team as there is clearly a great deal of synergy in the way we both operate. Our hope is that this represents the start of a long and successful business arrangement between Suma and Greenpeace."

Formed in 1975 by Reg Tayler and operating from a small establishment in Leeds, Suma has demonstrated dramatic growth and now operates from a purpose built factory in Elland between Halifax and Brighouse, and employs 150 members of staff. It's catalogue lists 188 pages of food and beverages including wines, chocolate,  cakes, sauces and many non-food items such as candles, shampoos and household cleaning products.

Suma are available at www.suma.co.uk

Greenpeace Captain Mike Finckens blog is at www.mikemate.wordpress.com

For Greenpeace go to www.greenpeace.org