Now, more than ever, our local independents need our support. We thought it would be worthwhile to highlight a selection of local businesses who are actively making changes to improve the sustainability of their operations. 

Hopefully you are well aware of our two fantastic refill shops - Refill & Replenish on the High Street and Juniper on Lavant Street. Laura from Refill told us that a lot of her customers first come to her with the assumption that plastic-free shopping will incur an extra cost and of course at the moment, this is a primary concern. Laura admits that large supermarkets have comparatively massive buying power and are therefore able to set prices lower, but she aims to price match where possible - and although some products are more expensive, others are actually cheaper: 

By refilling you are also of course reducing your consumption of single-use packaging, and by buying only the amount you need, potentially reducing food waste as well. Take Tupperware, jam jars, old freezer bags, old squash bottles - any dry, clean container to refill - or use the paper bags on offer for dried goods.

Juniper on Lavant Street also offers zero waste refill shopping and they say that 'just by tweaking our daily shopping habits we really can make a very positive difference'. Most of their goods are certified as organically produced, and they particularly want to highlight their sourdough bread, raw honey and cider vinegar. The bread, which takes a minimum of 18 hours to make, is baked just a couple of miles away with British organic flours and sometimes organic oats, seeds or dried fruit. The local honey comes from the countryside surrounding Petersfield, it is never blended, and the bees food plants include lavender and wildflowers, hedgerows, rural farmland and some well stocked urban gardens. Juniper also stocks organic cider vinegar produced by Mr Whiteheads which is based just up the road in Froxfield.

Thrive is a wonderful plant-based whole food café (and yoga studio) on Frenchmans Road. The business aims to help people live happier, healthier and more conscious lives through nutrition, movement and mindset. At this time of year they enjoy offering comfort food: slow cooked casseroles of winter greens, pulses and root vegetables, curries spiced with ginger, turmeric, chilli and treats like chocolate chai latte and ginger cake. They have recently switched over to a delicious, locally produced oat milk for their hot drinks - created in Winchester and made with 100% British oats. It is also available to buy in the café shop.

We are in discussions with local businesses about how PeCAN could support them to decarbonise and become more sustainable. If you own or manage a small business in Petersfield please contact us to find out how we can help you.