From Crunchy to
Community Carrot:

Why Invest?

Dunbar has a proud tradition of community ownership – Dunbar Community Bakery is an asset to our town, and the support we have received so far shows how strongly we all feel about keeping our greengrocers in business too.

Our vision is to stay true to and develop the 20-years strong ethos of the Crunchy Carrot: a strong social, ethical and environmentally friendly focus; sourcing locally where possible; and offering support to Dunbar’s food and environmental sustainability community projects. Find out more about the programmes we support below, as well as some of the unique services the Crunchy brings to Dunbar.

The journey to community ownership

In the spring of 2019, we registered a Community Benefit Society (CBS) as the legal vehicle to buy the property and the business through a community shares issue. It is registered as the Community Carrot Ltd, with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, number 8073.

A CBS is a form of co-operative where every member has one vote regardless of the size of their investment - but it exists to benefit the wider community and not just the members. The Board is elected by and from the members, who also have a say at members’ meetings. The CBS has a statutory asset lock which means that its resources can never be diverted for private benefit.

Read more about the rules of the CBS

This buy-out secured the Crunchy Carrot for Dunbar’s High Street

how will this benefit the community?

We will continue and expand opportunities to buy hyper-local produce, supporting micro-businesses and our community gardens in the process.
 

FREE DELIVERIES

We will continue the free delivery to local pensioners scheme and to supply our local restaurants and cafes. We hope to supply our local schools again in time.

SUSTAINABLE produce

We will continue to offer the unique range of sustainable household and toiletry products the shop stocks; the imaginative and extensive selection of whole foods and larder treats. 
 

vital SUPPORT for LOCAL PROJECTS

Our community and charity projects will retain one of their biggest supporters: local programmes including the Plenty Project, Sunny Soups, Dunbar Basics Bank (food bank), The Backlands Community Garden, KidsFoodJourney and Dunbar Grammar School’s Dementia-Friendly Dinner at DGS all rely on the Crunchy.

Trading projections

As the table shows, there is a solid basis for a successful community-owned business. We encourage you to read the full business plan on our website for the complete financial picture and an overview of our goals and social commitments. Staffing costs are based on our commitment to being a Real Living Wage employer, with likely increases in coming years built into
the forecasts.