Sometimes it seems as if some stores are new to the scene, when in fact they have been around for a long time. My bus route takes me past the big Holland and Barrett store on the East End of Princes Street and I pass by their smaller store on Shandwick Place all the time, but little did I know that Jan de Vries was just around the corner on Queensferry Street.
Founder, Jan de Vries, was a widely celebrated naturopath who promoted ‘complementary medicine’, a method of combining alternative and orthodox medicine. He was committed to helping his customers and changed the lives of many. He gained invaluable knowledge through his work with practitioners and experts such as Alfred Vogel, his studies in Germany and his travels to places like China. To this day, our company is owned by the same family and we are proud of the values inherited from Jan.
The store focuses on supporting a healthy lifestyle, from nutritionist consultations to all sorts of food and drink, and beauty products to suit those looking for gluten-free, organic and/or vegan products!
One of the things I was also very pleased to see is a water tap for hot and cold water to refill your water bottle when you’re in store! I know that this is a new concept that stores are looking into to reduce plastic waste, but it’s also exciting to see stores adopting this strategy, not only to encourage customers to drink more water, but to also preserve our environment at the same time.
On the day several Edinburgh bloggers and I attended the Jan de Vries flagship store on Queensferry Street (there is also another store in Newington as well as several others across Scotland), we were treated to exclusive access to the shop for browsing after opening hours with glasses of local pressed apple juice, make up consultations from a Dr Hauschka representative, delicious recipes with samples from Jan de Vries, raw vegan cake samples from Rawnchy, nut butters and chocolate samples from Almighty Foods to name a few.
Lemon and coconut energy balls
Chocolate and banana loaf (left) with coconut and lemon energy balls
Yummy vegan friendly canapés
Vegan cake samples from Rawnchy
Chocolate samples from Almighty Foods
Molkosan cocktail samples
The Jan de Vries store were hosting a competition which ends today, but unfortunately with work being so busy, I haven’t really had time to experiment with the star ingredient I took away with me in time to enter, but I will publish a beauty recipe with the surprise ingredient very soon!
If you’re interested in finding out more about what Jan de Vries offer, they are hosting a Health Festival between Thursday 14th and Saturday 16th June with lots of exciting events and consultations on each day. Saturday 16th is Healthy Vegan Saturday where you can speak with A. Vogel’s nutritionist Emma Thornton, taste yummy vegan chocolate from IQ Superfood Chocolate, taste yummy and healthy food samples with free herbal tea as well as receiving a free Zoya mini manicure if you book your space in advance!
To book your tickets for a free mini health consultation or evening talk, e-mail edinburghwestend@jdvhc.co.uk or call 0131 526 3990.
For more information, visit the Jan de Vries Health site here.
Many thanks to Jan de Vries Edinburgh West End staff for hosting a fantastic event!
Oh Sew Vegan 