Exeter’s Real Food Store

We are a unique, independent, community-owned store, bakery and cafe, with more than 300 shareholders who came together to ensure that it would be possible to establish a shop that has brought fresh produce back to the city centre. We stock local produce that includes vegetables from Shillingford Organics – freshly picked and delivered daily from the farm just 3 miles away – milk from Ashclyst on the Killerton Estate, and meat from local herds.

We stock a wide range of ‘larder goods’ – oats, dried fruits, pasta, and rice – as well as locally produced cheeses, yoghurt, pickles and honey. Alongside these essentials we stock beers from local micro-breweries, Sandford Orchards award winning ciders and a great range of Luscombe’s soft drinks and juices.

Around 70% of our produce comes from Devon and much of the remainder sourced from producers located elsewhere in the West Country.

Real Bread, Cafe And Cakes Too!

Emma’s Bread is baked on the premises and is made from good quality basic ingredients – without using any ‘improvers’ – and is shaped by hand. The range is wide with farmhouse white, stoneground wholemeal, malthouse, spelt and sourdough available fresh every day, complemented by a selection of speciality loaves such as Borodinsky rye and focaccia.

And if that isn’t enough we also stock a range of rolls, scones and cakes for example lemon polenta, ginger, carrot and chocolate beetroot as well as brownies, tiffin, date slice and granola bars.

A cafe, providing tea, coffee, light snacks and meals, is located on the first floor, using ingredients drawn from the shop below.

Local, Fresh And Seasonal

• Local – we support local growers and producers, and help boost the local economy
• Fresh – there is no long supply chain bringing goods from all over the UK and beyond; vegetables are put on sale on the same day as they were picked
• Seasonal – changing produce, straight from the locality reflecting the seasons.

An Award-Winning Store

We know our producers and are confident that they operate to high standards.

2011: Emma’s Bread (our in-store bakery) was winner of Best Baker in Devon Life Food and Drink Awards
2012: The Real Food Store was a finalist in the BBC Food and Farming Awards best Local Retailer
2013: The Real Food Store Cafe was named as the provider of the Best Cream Tea in the competition run by the Heart of Devon (tourism promotional organisation)
2014: The Real Food Store was awarded the ‘Overall Winner’ of DEBI’s environmental business awards 2014

The Real Food Story

The Real Food Store is a fairly unusual business in that it is are owned by more than 300 people- one of the largest community owned food businesses in the country!

The idea of a store and cafe emerged from discussions that began as part of the work of Transition Exeter. The city is surrounded by Devon’s lush countryside where animals are reared, vegetables are grown and a wide range of products are made by small enterprises.