In the seventies, we had a dream of an urban Utopia.

It was "radical" people like the late M.P. Rod Donald who advocated self sufficiency and were into growing their own vegetables and rearing chickens that started Piko, the whole foods co-operative.

The name Piko refers to the bend in the river and was given to the co-operative by Maori elders.

This was a time of forming a community and thanks largely to the willing volunteer efforts of those earlier inspired people we have successfully reached our 30th birthday!

It was March 1979 that our "people before profit" co-operative began. Piko was created out of the need for whole foods, there was nothing like it in Christchurch at the time.

It is an outlet for organically grown produce and is committed to providing a satisfying, consensus-based work environment.

• Local produce and goods first, to reduce both the financial and environmental costs of transportation, and to support New Zealand products
• 'Fair' trade; knowing the politics of where and from whom the product has come, e.g. fair wages versus multinationals etc.
• Awareness of the environmental impact of grocery shopping and providing bulk to reduce cost e.g. on tap, open sack
• B.Y.O. containers or collecting CLEAN and USABLE containers and bags for customers use
• Quality WHOLEFOODS versus processed food or supplements
• Providing food for people with allergies eg. Gluten free, dairy free, sugar free
• Information for consumers
• Organic and G.E. FREE food

By operating as a co-operative, Piko provides flexible working hours in an enabling environment where everybody takes responsibility for the successful running of the shop. The co-operative culture gives us increased opportunity to learn, and develop skills in many aspects of business.

To quote a former long time Piko member; "Ultimately the co-op culture is about people... Keeping those energies in harmony can be a real challenge but when it happens, it's fantastic..."

Today these ideals still stand and we believe we have retained a little Utopia while keeping up with ever changing times. We have since made the beautiful old building earthquake safe and expanded into our new shop, started a
store in Lyttelton (Lyttel Piko) and updated to a fancy new website.

Tineke, Brigette and Sabine are long time Piko members and are the trustees of Te Whanau Trust that oversee Piko Wholefoods and Lyttel Piko. They have been the backbone of Piko with Sabine for 6 years, Brigette for 18 years and Tineke being here for 27 years!

Keep an eye out for birthday celebration specials over the next month. Our birthday week is the week 16th to 21st March. We want to celebrate with you, the customers, the main reason for our success. During this week we will be giving away $50 worth of Piko gift vouchers every day. All you need to do is leave your till receipt and phone number in the box provided.
On Thursday the 19th March we are offering a 10% discount to every customer off your total bill...!!!
We will also have samples and goodies for you to try during the week.
Happy times! 30 years old!

Winter Vegetables

It's time to start planting your winter vegetables. If you leave it too late they will sit all winter without maturing and then bolt in the spring when the temperature rises.
Allow your plants time to get some growth in before it gets cold.
Cabbage, broccoli cauliflower, silver beet, beetroot, celery, kale, and parsley will all produce over the winter months to keep you fed and happy.

Health Chat

We get enquiries a lot about different foods for different health issues, which is fantastic because people are beginning to realise that the right foods for the body are medicine and the nourishing goodness of freshly grown food is one of the keys to good health.
Vitamins don't only come from a bottle!

Constipation is a most frequent ailment that we get asked for nutritional information on. Choose from the healthy solutions listed below...
Linseeds – ground or whole. Add a tablespoon full of these amazing little seeds to your daily diet and you will notice the difference. We now have a South Island supply of linseeds.
Slippery Elm Powder taken as a tea: simmer 1 tsp with 1&1/2 Cups water for 5-10 minutes, add spices or honey to taste. At least one cup a day.
Psyllium hulls – 1-2 teaspoons daily mixed with Slippery Elm powder (and plenty of water to wash them down), because by themselves and taken for long periods can be harder on the stomach than the other remedies listed.
Fresh fruit and vegetables daily, foods high in fibre such as oat bran and whole grains. Avoid refined foods and sugars.
Plenty of fresh water, relaxation techniques and daily exercise – to flush the body of toxins and keep things moving.
Hope this helps!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and the upcoming events like the Harvest Festival and the Vegan Triathalon, also the Ellerslie Flower