Do you need a space to deliver workshops, activities, or events?
Mercato Metropolitano, The Community Food Market in SE1
Over 40 food stalls, a jazz club, a boxing ring, an onsite brewery, two large outdoor spaces, and an open-air art exhibition. In the heart of Elephant & Castle, you can find all of this and much more, in the unusual context of a regenerated Victorian paper mill.
Mercato Metropolitano (MM) is not just a food market. It’s a place where food brings people together to tackle social and environmental issues, support local communities and create new opportunities for less fortunate people.
The company’s ethos is based on the mission of generating a positive impact on people and the planet, starting from those who live in the local communities. To achieve this goal, Mercato’s Community department works in partnership with charities, public institutions, businesses, and individuals, designing programmes and events tailored around the needs and challenges of their local residents.
Sharing space
Space is a valuable resource – and not something to take for granted in London – particularly at a time when rent and energy prices are becoming unaffordable for more and more non-profits. For this reason, MM have conceived their markets like public spaces, available for those who have great projects in mind, but nowhere to run them yet.
As you walk around the food stalls, you can spot unexpected features such as a community boxing ring where Peckham A.B.C. delivers free boxing classes for the local community, colourful murals created by local youth and artists, an art exhibition area showcasing artwork by local youth, and a community kitchen for cookery classes and meal preparation.
Incubation
Over the years, MM have also provided mentoring opportunities to aspirant food entrepreneurs looking for a place to start up their business. Through the Food Founders without Borders, a programme designed in partnership with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN), they supported four food entrepreneurs with refugee background who opened their first food concept at MM Elephant & Castle.
Bespoke Community Programmes
With nearly 12,500 people attending over 580 community events, classes and programmes, in 2023, Mercato has become a hotspot for several communities in Elephant & Castle and the wider Southwark borough.
Programmes such as the MM Holiday Clubs, providing nutritious food and activities to children receiving free school meals, or the numerous cookery classes run by in-house chefs and charity partners for people with disabilities, youth and the elderly, are regular appointments for people looking for a welcoming, inclusive space and a friendly, warm atmosphere to socialise.
If you’d like to find our more about MM’s community programmes, volunteer, and partner up, or if you are looking for a space to run your own community project, please email community@mercatometropolitano.com.
