Overview

Alex Smith started Alara Whole- foods nearly forty years ago by scavenging fruit from Covent Garden Market and selling it out of a squat in north London.

From a factory in Kings Cross Alara now produces almost half of the organic muesli sold in the UK. This zero-waste company creates almost 200 varieties of muesli including Fair Trade, Nut free, Gluten free and their own brand organic range.

They practice Permaculture, (which is from ‘permanent agriculture’ and seeks harmony with nature) on strips of land and gardens around their factory and also buy-in produce from British farms. Incredibly Alara successfully grow about a quarter of their own requirements.

The challenge

In 2010, Alara set a new challenge to be the most sustainable food manufacturer on earth.

Working and living in harmony with his surroundings, Alex’s vision pursued a diverse growing strategy, stability of supply, improved growing conditions and zero waste. What a tall order for a factory

on the northern edge of central London.

Strategy

As well as LondonWaste Ltd Alex worked with a wide range of partner organisations:

London Community Resource Network, The London Permaculture Network, Camden Council, Capital Growth and Camley Street Natural Park. All these partners have played some part in supporting the Alara vision.

The first delivery of EcoPark Compost was in 2010 and Alex, impressed with the quality of the material began to spread the word amongst partner organisations in the surrounding area.

Case StudyNo. 9

EcoPark Compost 2014 Camden

Case study No. 9

EcoPark Compost HubAlara Wholefoods

Compost is always available

He approached LondonWaste Ltd for further support and to create a secure safe space to deliver and store bulk loads of EcoPark Compost. This would enable local residents and community groups easy access to collect smaller quantities for their own particular growing needs.

This would be North London’s first compost hub, self- contained within this unique King’s Cross Space. The hub could be a catalyst to extend and support self-reliance within this community’s food growing projects.

Although LondonWaste had been making regular deliveries of compost to Alara’s existing compost space, the company encouraged and supported its refurbishment.

Working together with volunteers, donated materials and enthusiasm a secure solid delivery foundation was added.

This firm collection base provided a safe place to store the 15-tonne loads of compost. A secure fence was erected by re-using delivery pallets and this provided a safe, protected area for residents and community groups to collect compost. LondonWaste added clear simple signs and banners to mark out the area and attract groups to it.

The existing raised beds were enhanced to improve and encourage planting.

LondonWaste continues to make regular bulk deliveries of compost to the Hub and Alara together with other organisations are even developing plans for anaerobic digestion in the area.

Benefits

The raised beds are used by community groups and other areas of ground are now being used for growing. There are even Apricot trees and Japanese wineberry plants growing nearby.

The compost hub is a marked improvement on the previous area, it is popular and well used. Alara have compost on tap to feed their strips of land and residents are free to come and take compost at will. This has encouraged an upsurge in local food growing.

Camden’s first compost hub

Delivered 150 tonnes of EcoPark Compost to date

Half of the UKs organic muesli is made at Alara

Supplied more than 45 community groups with EcoPark Compost

Marked improvement on old success

Key Facts

Case StudyNo. 9

EcoPark Compost 2014 Camden

Toasted whole oats, nuts, grains and wheat flakes

LondonEnergy Ltd, EcoPark, Advent Way, London, N18 3AG

T: 020 8884 5525/9www.LondonEnergyLtd.com/compost