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Based in Cardiff, Green & Jenks is an independent Farm Shop and Deli specialising in Welsh food and drink and specialist Italian foods, as well as other artisan foods that they love. The family business was originally founded in 1888 by Frederick Green, so this year they will be celebrating the store's 135th anniversary! We spoke to Gilly and Josie all about the inspiration behind the store and its history, and the values that they champion as a company.
Tell us about the background of Green & Jenks.
The family grocers and dairy was founded by my great, great, grandfather Frederick Green in 1888. It was located around the corner from our current site in Albany Road and was called the Roath Park Dairy Company. The business was handed down the family to Frederick's daughter Lilian and son in law, Herbert Jenks and then to Norman Jenks, my grandfather. He retired in 1958 and we relaunched the business but in the names of our ancestors, Green & Jenks, in 2016.
What are your plans for celebrating your 135th anniversary?
To mark the 135th Anniversary we are launching a new range of own brand goods and we are redesigning the shop create a new gift area. The grocers and deli area has a new layout and we now have eco-friendly fridges to reduce our carbon footprint.
Sustainability is one of our three pillars for growth in 2023, the others being more develop our local and seasonal foods and to develop the customer experience with excellent customer service at the heart of everything we do to become the go to place to shop for quality food and drinks in Cardiff. We will be hosting some events to mark the occasion and to thank our loyal customers for their continued support.
What are 3 words to describe your shop?
Welcoming; beautiful; quality
Tell us about the area your store is based in.
Wellfield Road is the premier shopping and foodie road located in the fashionable and leafy Victorian suburb of Roath and just two miles from the city centre. It attracts residents of all ages, students, young professionals, families to retired wealthy. It's the cross section of people that makes it busy all year round and there's a strong sense of community and history too. The main attraction is the beautiful 100 acre park, Roath Park, with recreation fields, a boating lake and wild gardens. It's the place where everyone across Cardiff comes to chill out and walk their dogs and let the kids play.
What do you love about the products you sell?
All our products are carefully curated to offer a great selection of quality food and drink. Many of our products are from local Welsh producers, we also sell a selection of specialist Italian foods and an increasing number of foods and gifts from B Corp companies or ones that demonstrate sustainable values and have the ethos that we want from our suppliers i.e. less plastic, carbon offsetting, no palm oil, organic, such as Love Cocoa. We like to build relationships with our producers, many of whom we buy from directly, and get to know their business well.
Gilly is from a farming and hospitality background so she knows a lot about food production and this helps as our customers know they can trust the provenance of what we sell.
What do you and your customers love about Love Cocoa?
The brand struck a cord with me as I love the fact that James Cadbury has followed in his family footsteps, a bit like we have. I also really love the sustainable values: no plastic, planting a tree for each bar sold and the inclusion of vegan friendly options without compromising on quality and flavour, offering a wide appeal. The branding and design and quality of the packaging make the products really eye catching, and our team and our customers love them.
You can find out more about Green & Jenks on their website here, or visit their Instagram page.
