A NEW online grocery retailer has joined forces with local food and drink producers to launch an honest and healthy alternative to convenience purchases and the ‘tired’ weekly shop.

Fuelled by a desire to provide natural food at fair prices to the region, Bearfaced Groceries is seeking to challenge the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets with fresh, high quality ingredients – removing the barriers between suppliers and customers. It provides an online portal for affordable food and drink, with an impressive portfolio of suppliers offering fruit, vegetables, meat and alcohol.

Headquartered at Trafford Park, Bearfaced Groceries provides customers with fresh food straight to their doors using a ‘buy-to-order’ strategy, so that stock leaves for the customer on the same day it arrives from the producer – meaning that the public gets produce at its peak freshness.

Launched by managing director of Edge Worldwide Logistics, Philip Edge, the company has chosen the North West to pilot its service, with plans to roll it out nationally early next year.

Philip Edge,, managing director of Bearfaced Groceries, said: “Many UK producers have been longing to give customers a compelling alternative to the ‘Big Six’ supermarkets for some time. Rather than traipsing around supermarkets or the hassle of multiple trips to convenience stores, our customers can get the fresh produce they want quickly and easily online.

“We’re meeting the demand for healthy eating with an extensive range of super foods and free-from foods that make it easy for consumers to know exactly where their meals come from – while catering to a range of specific diet requirements, from paleo to vegan, gluten free and more.

“Most importantly, we’re tackling the horrendous food waste issues that have been hitting the headlines for far too long. The ingredients and produce available from us comes in many different shapes and sizes as that’s the way it grows – as well as being as fresh as possible when it arrives at customers’ doorsteps.

“We’ve chosen the North West to pilot the delivery service as it’s so diverse – from potential customers to physical delivery conditions, it makes perfect sense to launch in our home region.”

Among the suppliers signed up to supply Bearfaced Groceries is Sharrocks, a greengrocers based in Preston.

Wilf Whittle, business development manager at Sharrocks, said: “Bearfaced Groceries is an innovative concept and the company is genuinely fair to suppliers and produce growers alike. It offers us the unique chance to focus on developing our product range further and offering something very special to Bearfaced customers.”

As well as providing consumers with fresh produce, Bearfaced Groceries wants to highlight the benefits of buying produce direct from the source and supporting UK-based businesses.

Head of operations at Bearfaced Groceries, Barry Hymanson, said: “As consumers ourselves, we spotted a gap in the market for restaurant-quality groceries that don’t cost the earth. Food really can be of the highest quality and competitively priced – that way, everyone from the supplier to the end consumer can benefit from nutritious home-grown UK produce.”