Zoe Austin, catering manager at The Better Food Company cafe and supermarket in Bristol, insists organic food is not just for the well-off. "All sorts of people come here. Some people use us as their corner shop and nip in for bits and bobs, others come and do their whole weekly shop here. The cafe is really popular with mums and children. It's a comfortable place to be."

Shed the chef was busy preparing a batch of lentil moussaka but paused to extol the virtues of the organic ingredients that have gone into his potato salad, courgette and mushroom fritatta, and chocolate brownies.

"It's a pleasure and a privilege to cook with lovely, locally-produced organic food," he said. "I think the people who come here value good food produced and prepared in a caring way."

The Better Food Company has operated from an old proving house – where chains were once tested – in St Werburghs for more than a decade. It has grown from strength to strength, even doing well enough during the recession to open a food hall and deli in another part of town. The business grows by around 12% every year.

Many of the St Werburghs customers are green-minded types who have gravitated towards a corner of the city proud of its environmentally-friendly credentials. But it is also popular with those who just like to cook. Among those shopping on Friday, was teacher Soili Smurthwaite and her daughter Anja, one. "I don't want a build-up of pesticides in Anja's body – or in mine," she said. "Organic food is more expensive but for us it's an investment. It's how we choose to spend our money. We do without other things but make sure we eat properly."

It comes as no surprise to these diners and shoppers that a study has found organic food has higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of heavy metals. "We're here because we believe in eating as healthily as we can and I think we also want food that is produced in an ethical and fair way," said fundraiser Hattie Wells.

And not all organic food is hugely more expensive. In a report published during the economic downturn, the Soil Association reckoned organic olive oil, pasta and baking potatoes were the same price or cheaper than non-organic ones. It put the average organic shopping basket as only 4.4% more expensive than one filled with non-organic equivalents.

Lucy Gatward, Better Food's marketing manager, said the business's motto was "good food for all", not just for the rich. She said the company did well during the recession because people with less money thought more carefully about how to spend it. "And they concluded that food was worth it."

Teri O'Reilly, a fitness instructor, said it was all about priorities. "And self-worth. Am I worth spending a bit more on? The answer must be: 'Yes.'" O'Reilly's basket was filled with organic tea, veg, coconut water – and, a surprise, apple and banana purée. "It's not just for babies. It's lovely spread on toast."

Psychotherapist Mike Fairclough admitted he sometimes shops at a supermarket because of the convenience. But he feels much healthier and more content when he takes the time to shop for organic. "It gives me a good feeling," he said. And it's not just physical. "Things that are produced with love are more nurturing. I believe that if something was grown organically, it was grown with love and perhaps that makes a difference."