The Ganesha Wholefoods Story

From homemade soup to high street staple — a family-grown journey rooted in purpose.

In the late 1970s, long before quinoa made it into the mainstream and “organic” became a marketing buzzword, Fred and Penny were already quietly living it. Inspired by the pioneering spirit and diet on the Indian subcontinent and that of places like Cranks in London — where unrefined wholefoods and a vegetarian diet weren’t trends but principles — they opened Ganesha Wholefoods in 1979 in the East Devon town of Axminster.

It started as a small restaurant tucked beneath the Guildhall in Axminster. The menu consisted of soups, homemade bread, pizzas, quiches and sugar free cakes, all made from scratch, and cream teas made only with wholemeal flour. Nothing refined, nothing artificial — just food they believed in. Everything was homemade, carefully sourced, and served with conviction.

At the same time, they were raising four children — Richard, Simon, Maya, and Melanie — who, when they were old enough, set up their own stall outside the west street shop to raise money for WWF by selling date and apricot slices. It was always a family affair.

In 1980, Fred took their mission on the road with a wholefood market stall, selling dried fruits, grains, beans, nuts, and flour loose by weight. He toured local markets across Yeovil, Chard, Honiton, and Taunton, though he wasn’t allowed to trade in Axminster until 1982, when the existing wholefoods stall moved on and took over the Axminster market from Mike Chivers in 1982.

Their first bricks-and-mortar shop opened in 1983 opposite the church in Axminster. A 9-year lease carried them to 1992, when they relocated to their current location on South Street — where the shop still stands today.

Expansion followed:

• Honiton, 1984: first on the high street where the New Dolphin Hotel now stands, then across the road to their current spot in 2017. In 2021, they expanded again, doubling the size by taking on the adjacent unit.
• Sidmouth, 1986: initially near HSBC, then to the indoor market alongside cheesemongers and butchers, before finally settling into the old Clarks shoe shop in 2013. It was more space than they needed and higher rent — but the indoor market had closed, and Ganesha had become a well-known name in the town.

So where did the name come from?
Fred and Penny met in Trivandrum, Kerala, South India — studying massage and yoga with Dr Pillai, known as Garuji. Fred was already there when Penny arrived. Her room was next to the cow’s. It was in that place of learning and spiritual grounding that Ganesha — the remover of obstacles — became a meaningful symbol. It felt right to name their new venture after him.

And so Ganesha Wholefoods was born — not just a business, but a way of living.

In 2000, their son Richard began working in the shops, gradually taking on more responsibility. By 2013, Fred had begun stepping back from the day-to-day, and over the next few years, a slow and steady handover took place. Today, the second generation runs the show — but the soul of the business remains unchanged.

Four decades on, Ganesha Wholefoods still stands for what it always has: honest food, thoughtfully sourced, sold by people who care.