From the outside it could be a warehouse. But behind the closed doors lies something new – and it's rather special.

Bill's Produce Store is one of those places which makes people smile. It's a cornucopia of yummy goodness – a fresh food utopia, which is literally overflowing with tasty treats and tantalizing smells. And Brightonians are going crazy for it.

With a popular branch already in Lewes, the family business is a food store and café – but to its legions of loyal customers it is much more, offering a wonderful shopping and eating environment unlike any other.

Down-to-earth, honest and unpretentious, it's a farm shop a food hall and a stylish eatery all-in-one, serving up food that granny used to make, as well as beautifully-presented dishes you could find in classy restaurants.

You can buy fresh and organic fruit and vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, and plants. There's also preserves, pastas, cold meats and cheeses, both local produce and exotic goods from around the world.

Such is the vast range, it's likely you'll find several different varieties of fruit and vegetable, and unusual items like purple potatoes, yellow courgettes, white aubergine and Japanese shiso leaves. Then there's the homemade jam and salad dressings, and unusual jarred goods, like pollen.

If that's not enough, integrated into the grocery store and set among the colourful shelves is the cosy café, the unique appeal of which is you're able to eat your food surrounded by the produce that goes into it.

Extravagant cakes which look like works of art are made on-site, as are beautiful breads, quiches and pies.

The menu is highly tempting. There's comfort food to take you back to a time when things were simpler – boiled eggs and soldiers; fishfinger sandwiches; cheese on toast and toasted tea-cakes and jam.

You can order traditional dishes with a twist – eggs Benedict with smoked salmon; cheddar buck rarebit with ham; home-made flatbread with a fried egg, bacon and HP sauce, and fried egg and grilled mushrooms with bacon, stilton and walnuts on toast. For those with a sweet tooth, there's home-made muesli with yoghurt, fruit, nuts and honey; and buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and fruit salad. And there can be no better accompaniment to a Sunday breakfast than a Bucks Fizz or Bloody Mary.

“The only way I can describe it is yummy, and we like to add the extra touches,” says Tania Webb, Bill's sister-in-law, who helps run the business and one of its four partners.

The daily specials board is an epicurean delight for any food fan. Tuck into such exciting treats as proscuitto, fig, pine nut, spinach, pesto and mozzarella pizza; goat's cheese, spinach and sun-blushed tomato tartlet; roasted vegetable, feta cheese, oregano and olive pie; peppered steak sandwich on house-made foccacia with honey roast veg, aubergine pickle and herb leaf salad; and Jerusalem artichoke, oyster mushroom, pea, spring onion, tarragon and parmesan cheese quiche.

There is an alluring choice of made-to-order juices, smoothies, milkshakes, coffees and teas. Everything is available to eat-in or take away.

The food is as fresh as you can get it and is delivered every day. Everything stocked is seasonal, which means the menu and stock is ever-changing.

“It's all about good quality produce and having a wide range. Our ethos is quality and serving the best food you can source,” says Tania.

Bill's history is as heartwarming as his toasted tea cakes – a true success story, which proves from little things big things do grow.

The original shop opened in Lewes four years ago, although the business started life 22 years before that, as a humble greengrocers.

With a passion for high-quality food, Bill started stocking more and more unusual items and put on music to entertain the customers. While the growth of the supermarkets saw other grocers close, Bill's went from strength to strength.

When Lewes was flooded five years ago, the basement of Bill's grocery filled with four feet of water. He turned the situation around by buying up the shop next door, refurbishing it and opening the café, with the intention of putting some of the great ingredients form the shop into freshly-cooked dishes.

The idea was an instant hit among the people of Lewes. The friendly store is always packed and visitors come from far and wide.

It looks like the Brighton branch is going to go the same way. Built on a former car park (before that it was a bus depot) the store buzzes. It's lively but at the same time relaxed and friendly. It's awash with colour – flashes of bright reds, oranges and greens instantly catch the eye. The tempting smells change as you wander about, browsing row upon row of delicious treats.

The Brighton shop is open until 8pm ( 4pm Sundays) so you can enjoy a bottle of wine and light supper in the evening. Tania has found it is also popular with after-work shoppers: “One man said we'd revolutionised his life because he was able to buy fresh produce after he finishes work at six,” she says. “There is a huge amount of people who want fresh food, rather than packet food from the supermarket.”

One thing sure to please the people of Brighton is Bill's is not a chain. It's a family business with a conscience. Bill is keen to support local farmers and small holdings and is committed to offering locally-grown produce. It's traditional yet innovative.

Bill's has always been about offering customers the best, rather than making the most money – and this is one of the reason the business has been such a success. “It's got integrity,” says Tania. “We like eating nice food and we like efficient service. The minute you start cutting corners, things go downhill.”