Real Foods

Real Foods: organic, vegan and special-diet groceries from Edinburgh

Real Foods is a Scottish health food retailer that sells both in store and online. Its catalogue is built around organic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, raw and Fairtrade foods, and the company states that it stocks more than 10,000 healthy products. The range extends well beyond food into supplements, personal care and household goods, so the shop functions as a broad special-diet grocer rather than a single-category store.

A catalogue organised by diet and by product type

The food side is divided into a cupboard section and a fresh section. The cupboard covers baking ingredients, herbs, salt and seasoning, spices, sugars and sugar alternatives, syrups, jams and spreads, nut and peanut butters, chocolate and carob spreads, fruit spreads, honey, jams, pâté and yeast extract, and tahini and seed spreads. Oils and sauces include dressings, mustards, oils, pasta and other sauces, pestos, salsas and dips, tomato purée, vinegars, olives and tapenades, pickled and fermented vegetables, purées, tinned fruit, soups and ready meals, and tinned tomatoes.

Dried fruit, nuts and seeds sit alongside flours, grains, pulses and cereals, including bread and wheat flours, rye and barley flours, grains such as linseed, pulses, flakes and cereals, gluten-free baking and flours, muesli and granola, and oats. Pasta, rice, noodles and world foods are grouped by cuisine, with Chinese and Japanese, Indian, Mexican, North African and Thai sections, plus TVP, soya and dairy-free products.

Fresh produce, chilled goods and bakery

The fresh range covers organic fruit — apples, avocado, bananas, citrus, exotic fruit and soft fruit and berries — and organic greens such as brassicas, fresh herbs, salad and speciality greens. Organic vegetables are sorted into alliums, onions and garlic, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, root vegetables, squashes and tomatoes. Fresh breads and bakery include cakes and sweet breads, flat breads, gluten-free breads and other breads, alongside eggs, fresh miso, sprouts and fermented chilled foods.

Chilled lines take in fresh smoothies, fruit juices, fermented drinks and vegetable juices, dairy and non-dairy alternatives, chilled tofu, non-dairy cheeses and spreads, sweets and cakes, ready-cook and ready-eat meat alternatives, and frozen fruit, vegetables, dairy, ice cream, non-dairy desserts, non-dairy ice cream, pastry and baking, and ready meals.

Snacks, chocolate and superfoods

Snacks and confectionery are extensive: chocolate by type (cooking, dairy-free, dark, milk, raw and white), chocolate-making ingredients such as cacao beans and nibs, cacao butter, cacao liquor, cacao powder, flavourings and sweeteners, plus cakes and biscuits, cookies, shortbread, sweet biscuits, sweet breads and cakes, waffles, sweets, gum, halva, liquorice and marzipan. Savoury biscuits include breadsticks and grissini, corn cakes, crispbreads, oatcakes, raw biscuits, raw crackers and rice cakes. Snack bars are split into flapjacks, cereal, fruit, nut and seed, oat, protein and energy, and raw bars, with further snacks, popcorn, raw mixes, roasted and salted snacks, yoghurt-coated snacks, crisps and chips.

A dedicated superfoods section covers Ayurvedic herbs (ashwagandha, brahmi, moringa, neem, triphala, tulsi and turmeric), green and fungi products (algae, barley grass, chlorella, fungi, green superblends, kelp, spirulina and wheatgrass), South American ingredients (açai, camu camu, guarana, lucuma, maca, maqui berry and purple corn), cacao and coconut products, fruit and hemp lines (açai and açai juices, baobab, fruit powders, goji berry, hemp oil, hemp protein, hemp seeds and schisandra berry), superfood teas, superfood snacks, superfood juices and raw supplements.

Supplements, personal care and household goods

Health and beauty spans supplements for brain health, digestive aids and probiotics, essential fatty acids and protein powders, plus vitamins and minerals grouped by letter and type, herbal remedies and essential oils (ginkgo biloba, milk thistle, echinacea, St John's wort and flower remedies), homeopathic remedies, bath and shower products, soaps and deodorants, skin and sun care, dental care including fluoride-free toothpastes, men's bodycare and hair care. Household lines include bathroom and kitchen supplies, cleaning products, laundry and fresheners, and baby care with nappies, wipes, baby foods, milk formulas and kids' supplements. Books, clothing, stationery, candles, incense, gardening equipment, insect repellent and pet food also appear in the catalogue.

Wholesale, delivery and shopping options

Real Foods sells wholesale, offering the original bulk size or any smaller size the buyer chooses. Delivery is free for all UK mainland orders over £49. The site also lists click-and-collect information, gift vouchers, a blog, recipes and a loyalty scheme called Cherry Points, and it maintains a Scottish shop section with manager's specials.

Stores in Edinburgh

The company operates physical stores in Edinburgh, which are listed separately on its site alongside wholesale, household refills and vacancies.