Why Organic Matters to us

The Latest Trends

Trends come and go, and it’s not always clear who genuinely cares about their values and who’s just jumping on the bandwagon. Some big companies even change their message depending on where they’re selling in the world. At Ruxstons, we don’t do that. We don’t follow fads or chase popularity to gain a few short term customers. We stick to our core values—quality, authenticity, and discovery—and make decisions that feel right, not just fashionable. We're not here to blend in. We're here to do things our own way.

Why Organic Farming Matters to Us

Fraser and I, who co-founded Ruxstons, both grew up on an organic farm. It’s in our roots. From a young age, we were taught to ask questions—about school, friends, and even our parents (not that they always liked it)! When you grow up around conventional farms, it’s only natural to start noticing differences and wondering why your family does things a certain way.

Our parents, who were definitely "green extremists" of their time, always explained organic farming as a more sensible, long-term approach to health and food. Yes, using fertilisers or pesticides can boost yields and lower prices—which has its own benefits—but many of these chemicals are relatively new. That makes it difficult to understand their long-term effects on the planet, the soil and our bodies. Organic farming, on the other hand, often uses natural fertilisers, crop rotation, and soil-building practices that can still produce strong yields—just with fewer shortcuts. It does of course take longer, and sometimes to urgency to get results makes people and companies pick the quick option.

For us, it’s not about being perfect or pure. It’s about farming with patience and thoughtfulness, and asking whether something truly makes sense in the long run.

Making Organic More Accessible

We get it, organic food can feel out of reach. Many people would love to eat organic but simply can’t afford to do it all the time, both myself and Fraser have been in that situation multiple times. That’s a real challenge, and one we think about a lot. Here are three ways we approached it:

1. Prioritise what matters most.

Some foods are more important to buy organic than others. Take apples and blueberries—fruits where you eat the skin. These tend to retain more pesticide residue. Compare that to bananas or avocados, where you peel away the skin. If you can’t go fully organic, focus on the foods where it makes the biggest difference.

2. Reconsider how we value food.

Over the years, the share of household spending on food has dropped dramatically—from 21% in 1970 to just 9% by 2008 (BBC). Food has become a race to the bottom in terms of price. Supermarkets focus on deals and comparisons, rarely celebrating quality. Contrast that with how we treat cars—people are happy to go into debt to have the latest model. Surely what goes into your body is more important than the vehicle you drive in? Maybe it’s time to shift our thinking back toward food as something worth investing in again.

3. Eat less meat—but better meat.

Meat is usually the most expensive part of the shopping list. So instead of cutting corners on quality, we suggest eating a bit less and choosing better when you do. This way you can enjoy good quality local beef but without worrying about drifting into the dreaded overdraft.

Why We’re Not Fully Organic

We’re a down-to-earth bunch at Ruxstons, and we know not everyone is going to switch to 100% organic overnight. Our aim isn’t to be purist and only target those who are —it’s to be practical and to make a real impact.

Yes, we stock a few things in our coffee shop that you might not find in a fully organic store like Better Food in Bristol (which we have huge respect for, by the way). But our thinking is this: if someone walks into Ruxstons who wouldn’t usually step into an organic shop (and plenty of people never would), and they leave having eaten something made with grass fed beef or organic flour—surely that’s a win? Take our Louisiana Spicy Beef Pizza, for example. It’s topped with our own sisters beef mince, which is organically farmed, and enjoyed by all sorts of people. If we were strictly organic, we would have sold fewer pizzas, and, as a result, also have reached fewer people. Sometimes, change happens not by appealing to the purists, but by getting more people on board—even in small ways.

A few years ago, Iceland explored the idea of selling soya-free chicken, similar to our own pasture raised chicken. Although it didn’t take off in the end, the fact they even considered it was encouraging. If a big company like that had made the switch, the impact would have been huge.

The Future

We know organic isn’t always the easiest or cheapest option—but for us, it’s part of a bigger picture. It’s about making food that’s better for the land, the animals, and the people who eat it. It’s about knowing where things come from, trusting what’s in them, and valuing the hands that made them. At Ruxstons, we’re not aiming for perfection—we’re aiming for progress. If more people choose one better product, make one more conscious decision, or just stop to think about how their food is made, that’s a step in the right direction.

And we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done: asking questions, trusting our instincts, and building something that feels good to be part of. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s true to who we are. This is why Organic farming matters to us.