But the argument only holds if the product is good — which is where this county has an unfair advantage. Where independent health shops once stocked two or three tubs, customers now compare sourcing, filtration and ingredient lists. A grass-fed whey protein sourced from small dairy farms, sold in a plain 2.28kg tub, is essentially the supplement-aisle version of asking the greengrocer what's local this week. Fresh produce from a market stall rewards a bit of batch cooking; plan two further meals around whatever you bought. Independents survive now by being better informed than the shop that replaced them — knowing the farm, the boat, the batch.