Natural skincare, loose leaf teas, body care and cleaning refills. Altrincham’s GINKGO hits the nail squarely on the head when it comes to health and eco-shops, answering all the questions we expect from this kind of retailer. But appearances are often deceiving, and this (deep) south Greater Manchester establishment prides itself on doing things differently. That partly means combining traditional herbal knowledge with cutting edge research into plant-based medicines when choosing what to stock and sell, introducing us to ancient wisdom derived from Mother Earth herself.
But it goes much further than that, with an on-site cafe offering bespoke drinks — mushroom or CBD infused coffee, anyone? — and a herbal dispensary with a vast selection of dried herbs, herbal tinctures (liquid herbal extracts), powders, capsules, creams, oils and lotions. And a trained Medical Herbalist for full consultations to develop bespoke treatment plans. The cafe, another big selling point, is equally personalised, with customers able to pick from drinks like organic coffee, chai latte, beetroot latte, matcha latte, rose cacao latte, then add CBD, collagen, Lion’s Mane, cordyceps, reishi, tremella and chaga mushrooms.
Paired with suitably good-for-you eats like stuffed dates and rose cacao protein balls, GINKGO takes healthy hospitality to a new level. Then there’s the retail side of things. “We wanted GINKGO to be a store that helped people live happier, healthier lives, but also a business that was run in a sustainable way,” the team explain. “There store places an emphasis environmentally friendly living and combines natural health and beauty products with high quality natural supplements, a herbal dispensary, as well as an unpackaged ‘refillery’ where you can stock up on all your unpackaged household, body care, and beauty needs.” All of which, they hasten to add, are plastic free and as planet-friendly as they could possibly be, with local suppliers and cooperative-run producers prioritised by the buyers.