Good Earth

Good Earth is one of Malta's longest-established natural food companies. Founded in January 1985, it imports and distributes unrefined, organic and free-from products from around the world, and it also operates retail outlets for shoppers who want to buy directly. Its head office is at Hardrocks Business Park, on Burmarrad Road in Naxxar.

The business is listed in our directory of organic food suppliers and shops in Malta. For a UK reader, it is best thought of as the company behind many of the natural-food brands you will see on Maltese shelves, as well as a shop operator in its own right.

From one man selling brown rice to a national supplier

Good Earth was started by Matthew de Giorgio, who had spent his early career as a sailor and visited food markets around the Mediterranean, in Greece and Sicily. Taken with the atmosphere of those markets, he moved into a career built on finding high quality food, and formed the company soon after returning to Malta.

For the first year it was a one-man operation. He visited Maltese towns and villages selling just two products, brown rice and vegetable burgers. Interest in natural eating grew in the following years, and he introduced products that Maltese shoppers had not seen before, such as Brazil nuts, soya beans and apricots, while working to show that nutritious, tasty recipes were possible all year round.

In 2003 Matthew's nephew, Nikolai de Giorgio, joined the company, and the two of them built it up over the next decade, with Matthew travelling each year to source produce and spot new opportunities across the European market.

What the company sells

Today the portfolio reaches across five continents and covers hundreds of healthy, natural and organic lines. The product groups include beans and lentils, dried fruit, flours and flakes, gluten free cereals, honey, herbs and spices, juices, mixes, nuts, oils and vinegars, pasta, rice and grains, seeds, sugar and superfoods.

Good Earth also imports and distributes brands for special diets, from plant-based diets to sugar-controlled or salt-controlled eating, and for people who avoid wheat, gluten or lactose. Brands include Alpro, Clipper, Whole Earth, Doves Farm, Genius Gluten Free, Kallo, Jordans, Marigold, Clearspring, Bottlegreen and Dirty Cow, along with Galbusera, Green Vie and others.

The company aims for organic products without artificial additives, sweeteners, colouring or preservatives, and avoids hydrogenated fats, MSG and genetically modified ingredients. If you follow a medical or allergy diet, read every label yourself, since this page cannot give dietary advice.

Values and sourcing

The company ethos is that food should be grown as nature intended. The team travels to find ingredients from responsible growers and suppliers who share its ideals, and follows principles of honesty and openness. It also states a commitment to environmental conservation and to avoiding the exploitation of people, animals and natural resources.

The website adds recipe sections, with main dishes, salads, sweets, breakfast ideas and soups, plus a news area, so shoppers can see how to use the products at home. If you are cooking on holiday, the natural-food shelves are a useful source of grains, pulses and spices.

Buying, visiting and nearby

Good Earth Distributors Ltd sits at Hardrocks Business Park, Burmarrad Road, Naxxar NXR 6345. Members of the public who want to place a shopping order or request a delivery are asked to deal with the retail outlets, the Balluta shop and the Smart Supermarket shop, rather than the head office.

Naxxar lies in the centre of the island and close to the north-east coast, so a trip can be combined with water activities such as Abyss Diving Club Bugibba, Aquamarine Watersports or a boat trip with Amazing Boat Trips Malta. Our things to do in Malta page has more ideas, the Mdina guide covers the old capital nearby, and the best beaches in Malta help you choose a swim.

Planning a longer stay? See the relocating to Malta guide and the where to stay in Malta page, and the Malta weather guide for the best months. For any question about brands or products, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the business.