David O’Driscoll meets the founder of Nourished Communities, a deli bringing sustainable, locally sourced food to Walthamstow

The organic food market is experiencing its biggest boom in decades, with consumers mainly interested in making not only sustainable but also more health-conscious choices. 

This is good news for Nourished Communities, a new venture in Walthamstow which focuses on this market. They have two branches in Walthamstow, one near St James Street Station, and the other in Blackhorse Lane. 

I met with founder Rollo Millership at their Walthamstow factory. It was here that I saw their Argentinian cook make their wonderful, handmade enchiladas, which I can heartily recommend.

Nourished Communities is very much a labour of love for Rollo. He started working at farmers’ markets when he was 14 years old and it was here that he learned about the food industry.

He told me: “We are proud to still work with many of these farmers and now represent over 200 independent producers and growers.”

Rollo feels very committed to Walthamstow and is particularly keen to use local produce. There were a number of such items in the shop, including honey and a locally made hot sauce. He is also a supporter of local organisations, sponsoring one of the Coppermill Swifts girls’ teams.

In 2023, Nourished Communities hosted its first food festival in Blackhorse Road, bringing together over 100 independent food  producers and speakers on regenerative agriculture while offering workshops around fermenting and growing mushrooms from coffee granules. The festival drew over 2,000 people and they are keen to do it again.

What we eat and how we eat is a topic Rollo is incredibly passionate about, though he acknowledges that healthier foods aren’t always affordable, saying: “Organic food costs more to produce generally, so it costs more for the consumer.”

He does stress however that they have an impressive range of competitively priced extra virgin olive oil and a diverse vegetable box scheme, on top of an excellent range of beers and wines which are a hit on the online side of the business.

There are so many interesting products in their shops that would be difficult to find anywhere else; in fact it feels like an Aladdin’s Cave.

With his wealth of contacts in the food industry, Rollo is keen to set up an alternative food supply system that would completely avoid the industrial farming or global supply chains that are used by supermarkets.

And when so much of our food and products are dominated by chains and conglomerates, it is refreshing to see an independent producer that is wholly focused on alternative, healthy, and outstanding local products.  Give Nourished Communities a go!

Pop into Nourished Communities at 12 Blackhorse Lane or 28 St James Street, find out more here

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