By Victoria Milner
Most of us know that the Co-Op has a super range of genuine, organic products, produced and packaged as sustainably as possible. What you might not know is that in addition to a wide product range, the Co-Op also offers competitive pricing. On Facebook recently we highlighted two products from Meredith Dairy that consistently run cheaper than the supermarkets. Now we’ve dug a little deeper to show you some further products where you’ll find savings, as well as a super easy homemade granola recipe!
I’ve only recently returned to Manly and started to shop at the Co-Op as a conscious decision to reduce the use of single-use plastic in my home. I had assumed that I was paying more for the privilege of access to organic products. Gradually though I noticed that my food bills were not increasing, but in fact, sometimes they even decreased depending what I was buying. So I decided to do a specific price comparison for one of my most popular recipes for home, my Crunchy Lemon Granola. As you’ll see, the pricing works out cheaper than the supermarkets^ and you’ll know you’re getting 100% organic products.
Crunchy Lemon Granola
Turn your oven to fan forced 170C or conventional at 180C, then take a deep baking tray and scatter:
500g organic rolled oats
Zest of 2 organic lemons
1 handful of chopped organic cashews
2 handfuls of chopped organic almonds
1 handful of organic pepitas
1 handful of organic sunflower seeds
Then mix through:
4 tablespoons of organic honey (you can also use maple syrup), warmed on the stove or microwave
You might like to use your hands to make sure the honey melts into the mix. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes give it a stir. Cook for another 10 minutes. Mixture should be starting to brown. Stir again and cook for another 10 minutes. Then add:
6 dried, chopped organic dates
6 dried, chopped organic apricots
1 handful of organic sultanas
1 handful organic coconut flakes
Cook for another 10 minutes. Total cooking time is 40 minutes and the mix should be a golden, toasted colour. Set aside to cool, then put in a container to enjoy. I keep mine in the cupboard for up to 3 or 4 weeks. Note that the fruit and coconut brown quickly which is why I don’t add them until the last round. You can adjust quantities to taste and use different nuts and fruits that you like too. You can see from the photos that the granola has loads of tasty bits and you’ll find you only need a small bowl to keep you easily going from breakfast until lunch time.
Below I’ve included all the pricing information for the ingredients listed. You can see that the Co-Op price works out $2.64 cheaper than buying from the supermarket. And that’s for a totally organic, homemade and delicious muesli that will last you a couple of weeks. You can also see below how well the Co-Op compares on a few other key products. All of this is even more reason to shop at the only local, not-for-profit Co-Op on the Northern Beaches.
| Product | Co-Op price* | Comparable^ / packaged price | Quantity per batch | Co-Op price per recipe batch | Comparable^ price per batch |
| Organic Rolled Oats – 1kg | $5.62 | $6.00 | 0.5 | $2.81 | $3.00 |
| Organic Lemons – 1kg | $9.44 | $13.00 | 0.25 | $2.36 | $3.25 |
| Organic Honey – 1kg | $28.50 | $14.80 | 0.06 | $1.71 | $0.89 |
| Organic Sultanas – 1kg | $15.56 | $8.80 | 0.05 | $0.78 | $0.44 |
| Organic Almonds – 1kg | $22.31 | $36.00 | 0.15 | $3.35 | $5.40 |
| Organic Pepitas – 1kg | $22.89 | $27.50 (non-organic) | 0.1 | $2.29 | $2.75 |
| Organic Sunflower Seeds – 1kg | $11.02 | $10.67 (non-organic) | 0.05 | $0.55 | $0.53 |
| Organic Dried Dates – 1kg | $16.25 | $9.20 (non-organic) | 0.05 | $0.81 | $0.46 |
| Organic Dried Apricots – 1kg | $28.08 | $26.40 (non-organic) | 0.05 | $1.40 | $1.32 |
| Organic Coconut Flakes – 1kg | $12.60 | $25.00 | 0.05 | $0.63 | $1.25 |
| Organic Yoghurt – 375g | $8.38 | $5.96 | 0.05 | $0.42 | $0.30 |
| Organic Milk – 1 litre | $1.95 | $3.00 | 0.15 | $0.29 | $0.45 |
| TOTAL | 1.51 | $17.40 | $20.04 |
* Prices quoted are the retail price at the Manly Co-op, members receive a 10% discount and volunteers receive a 20% discount from these prices.
^ Note that I couldn’t find all the organic ingredients I needed in one supermarket or organic store so I visited several to get comparison prices. If anyone’s interested in specifics please contact me on milnervl@gmail.com
Victoria has recently returned to Manly after 15 years living abroad. In Singapore Victoria wrote the popular food blog, Singapore Foodie, and also spent her time working for a Cambodian based charity. Victoria joined the Manly Co-Op as a way to connect with like-minded people in the community and is working to make her life as plastic free as possible.