Essential Open Day 2025

You’re invited to a day of celebration, community, and sustainable living at our Bristol site on Sunday 21st September 2025.

What’s On

Join us for a vibrant event packed with flavour, creativity and connection. This is your chance to:

  • Meet our suppliers face-to-face and learn more about the people behind the products
  • Access bespoke, one-day-only deals you won’t find anywhere else
  • Connect with like-minded customers and our friendly co-op team
  • Enjoy some live music, get creative at our printmaking workshop, enjoy free food for everyone, and let the little ones have fun in the Pitch Up & Play crèche!

Event Sponsors

Clipper

At Clipper, we’ve been making magical teas in Dorset since 1984.

From small beginnings in a Dorset kitchen, we are now the UK’s No.1 Organic and Fairtrade tea brand. We believe that every cup of tea counts, so we strive to deliver the best tasting tea, using the highest quality ingredients, always ethically sourced.

Visit us in the food court to sample a drink from Clipper’s delightful range.

Shop | Visit

Kallo

At Kallo, we believe that eating sensibly shouldn’t mean saying no to the things you love – and that super-tasty food can be super-simple too.

We promise to make light work of healthy eating and inspire you to take pleasure in every single thing you eat, knowing that it has been made the right way.

That’s why all our creations are made with good, honest, natural ingredients and not an artificial additive in sight. So you can have your cake, and eat it.

Shop | Visit

Kallo

At Kallo, we believe that eating sensibly shouldn’t mean saying no to the things you love – and that super-tasty food can be super-simple too.

We promise to make light work of healthy eating and inspire you to take pleasure in every single thing you eat, knowing that it has been made the right way.

That’s why all our creations are made with good, honest, natural ingredients and not an artificial additive in sight. So you can have your cake, and eat it.

Shop | Visit

Exhibitors

Exclusive Offers

Over 30 brilliant ethical wholefood and household brands will be at this year's event and they will be offering some amazing discounts. There will be literally 100s of products on offer on the day, exclusively for Open Day visitors with up to 50% off on some of your favourites.

Food & Drink

We will be providing a range of amazing vegetarian and vegan food and drink throughout the day! Everything will be included with the price of your ticket (that's £0). All of the businesses below are based within 2.5 miles of our warehouse and they really are some of Bristol's finest. We're also proud to call all of the food suppliers on this list either customers or suppliers or both; it's a circle of wholesome whole foods.

Clipper Tea Van

Known for their commitment to ethical sourcing and natural ingredients, Clipper Tea will be serving their delightful range of organic and Fairtrade teas and infusions from one of their brilliant tea vans.

More about Clipper

Radek's Chocolate

We're so pleased that Radek's will be joining us for Open Day. They'll be serving some amazing hot chocolate alongside their legendary vegan brownies! You do not want to miss those bad boys.

More about Radek's Chocolate

Chiki Monkey

The guys from Chiki Monkey will be bringing their unique brand of vegan street food to the party. Delicious, nutritious and about as local as you can get (we share a postcode).

More about Chiki Monkey

Counter Culture

Counter Culture will be serving their delicious, Bristol Brewed kombucha on tap in the bar.

More about Counter Culture

Everest Bread

Cakes, cookies and amazing breads of all kinds. Ethically sound and super local (you could throw an old ciabatta into Everest's garden from the back of our warehouse).

More about Everest Bread

Live Music from Biff Bang Pow

Smart Skiffle Rock Quartet sparking up some fiercely fun-packed versions of Country, New Wave and Rock 'n' Roll. They are to music what Snap, Crackle and Pop are to puffed rice.

More about Biff Bang Pow

Fabric printing with the Bristol Print Collective

The collective are going be running drop in workshops where you can print your own colourful designs onto fabric! The workshops are suitable for all ages (bring your kids) and levels and are a great way to explore your creative side.

More about the Bristol Print Collective

 

Crèche from Pitch Up and Play

Ever wished you could just peruse the pulses in peace? At the Essential Open Day you can. Pitch Up and Play are the "crème de la crème of childcare and entertainment", so when you no longer want to see your children (we've all been there), they will keep them safe and happy so that you enjoy the show and maybe treat yourself to a chocolate brownie without having to hide behind the fridge.

More about Pitch Up and Play