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Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd

Bristol · Co-operative · Est. 1971

Worker co-operative distributing organic and ethical food products since 1971. All workers are equal co-owners with equal voting rights. Pays above Living Wage. Supports community food projects.

Founded
1971
Employees
50 staff
Last Verified
Mar 2026
Social Ethics Score
87/ 100
emoji_eventsExemplary · Top 5% in UK
assignmentGovernance
8.8
ecoCommunity
8.8
paymentsTax
8.8
groupsEmployment
9.4
campaignCause
8.6
Score updates from live register data
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Why Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd scores 87/100

PillarEvidenceSourceScore
assignmentGovernance
Legal structure: Co-operative. Mission statement verified. Companies House filing reviewed.Companies House · B-Corp8.8
ecoCommunity
Community contributions assessed from Charity Commission and third-party reports.Charity Commission8.8
paymentsTax
Effective UK corporation tax rate: 21.2% (vs 19% statutory norm). HMRC records show no adverse findings.HMRC · Fair Tax Mark8.8
groupsEmployment
Minimum wage paid: £13.2/hr. Zero-hours: 0%. Gender pay gap: null%. 0 tribunal losses in 5 years.LWF · DWP · Tribunals9.4
campaignCause
Assessed from public advocacy record, employee volunteering policy (0 days/yr), and cause promotion activities.Third Party Auditors8.6

How Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd treats its people

£13.2/hr
Min. wage paid
Real LW: £12.60
0%
Zero-hours contracts
UK avg: 18%
0
Volunteer days/yr
Per employee
0
Tribunal losses
Past 5 years

Tax transparency

Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd's effective rate
21.2%
UK corporation tax ()
UK statutory rate
25%
Main rate · SME relief typically reduces to ~19%
infoAll data on this page is pulled from public registers: Companies House, HMRC, Charity Commission, and accreditation body databases. Essential Trading Co-operative Ltd has not paid for this listing or influenced its content. Last data pull: 29/03/2026.