Changing the world one vegetable at a time

Leicester is associated with many great things: its cultural quarter, the space industry, and its dynamic culinary scene, to name a few. But in the city there’s innovation happening quietly, one delivery at a time. I recently learned that Leicester is home to the UK's first carbon-negative mobile greengrocers. I was in the middle of renovating my Clarendon Park flat – and was caked in sawdust – when I saw it: a brilliantly decorated 1950s milk float, with fruit and vegetables instead of milk, and the words ‘slow-moving veg’ written on the back.

Naturally, in a disheveled state, I walked up to the driver, told him I was a reporter, and expressed my interest in writing about them. I got a business card in return. In the weeks that followed, my editor green-lit a feature on the greengrocer, and I set a date for an interview. What followed was probably one of the most pleasant Friday mornings I’ve had in a long time, as I joined the Green Tomato team on one of their routes around Stoneygate.

I arrive at the home of the Green Tomato founders, husband and wife team Nisha and Manoj. One of their employees, Callum, is there – he’s back from a 4am trip to Leicester's wholesale market, and has helped load the float, which is parked outside on the driveway.

Before we even set off, the community feel which the Green Tomato is built around is evident: “hey mate,” shouts a postman as he power-walks across the road. He hands Manoj a couple of letters and the two chat briefly about the weather. Then, as he turns to leave, Manoj hands him an apple from the float. “It’s his favourite apple,” Nisha later tells me when I ask her about it. 

So we hit the road, and less than five minutes later we’ve arrived at our first stop in Stoneygate, and the first customer opens their front door, reusable carrier bags in hand. I learn that his name is Stuart.

Once Stuart has finished his shopping, I ask him: “How long have you shopped with the Green Tomato?”

“Since Covid days, wasn’t it?” He asks Manoj – who nods in response, “Six years now, it’s going to be six years in July.

“And I’m still only 53,” he says, which is met with chuckles from Manoj and Nisha.

I ask him about Leicester Market as well, and why he doesn't shop there. “I don’t go into central Leicester, I’m retired,” he responds. “I visit Boots to have my eyes and ears tested, and that’s about the only time I go in.”

But anyway, “this is a great local business”, he says. And with that, Stuart heads back into his house, carrier bags of produce in hand.

The float departs, and snakes its way through the streets of Stoneygate, stopping to make deliveries as we go. As Manoj fills his customers’ bags with fresh produce, they chat away about all sorts. He's well aware of what's going on in his customers’ lives, and they discuss topics ranging from customers' families to holidays (Manoj and Nisha are going to Türkiye and will be missed dearly by their customers) and, in keeping with the older demographic of the customers on this particular route, various age-related medical topics. The relationship between the Green Tomato and its customer base is a close one, and the conversations are reminiscent of catchup between friends rather than a vendor and a buyer.

On this particular route, most of the customers are retirees, Nisha tells me. But the Green Tomatoes' other routes through Clarendon Park and Knighton attract customers of all ages.

We pull up outside the front door of another regular. “Manoj is a treasure – write that down,” he tells me, after he’s finished shopping. He’s a retired professor with a characterful received accent. “He is the best thing that’s ever happened to me; there’s lots of people – like me – who can’t get out to get fresh fruit and veg.” The Green Tomato is “absolutely marvellous,” as far as he is concerned.

Convenience is the main draw for customers in Stoneygate, “it’s somebody coming to your door, and it’s a personal service,” says one. “It’s the human touch – that’s the most important thing,” says another.

After the route had ended, Nisha and I spent around 20 minutes chatting about the Green Tomato.

“We have family in India and every time we visit, the best part of our visit is where the stall comes,” she says. “It’s pulled by a person normally, and it's got fresh produce from local farms. 
There’s no packaging.”

She continues, “nobody in India goes to do their fresh food shop in a supermarket. It's not a thing. Nobody does that.

“It's frustrating that people are not doing more; there's so much evidence now of human activity and the impact on our environment, and yet behaviour change is difficult. I thought this would actually kill two birds with one stone. By bringing the shop to the doorstep, we're going to be zero emissions.”

The Green Tomato has three separate routes: one in Knighton, one in Clarendon Park, and one in Stoneygate. Something to note is that these are nice areas of Leicester, known for being desirable places to live which are pretty well-off (the Guardian wrote 14 years ago of ‘corduroyed lecturers in cafés’ and ‘legendary cheeseboards’ in Clarendon Park and that certainly still rings true today).

This is something I wanted to ask about, but I'm beaten to the punch when Nisha says, “Our suppliers are brilliant, but the cost of our buying is more than the supermarket prices. So, although we want the business to be accessible to everyone, in fact, it's just not turned out like that.”

At the end of the day, the Green Tomato is a business, and “We need to remain profitable to do all the things that we do,” says Nisha. “We've ended up with a very niche customer base, which we're fully aware of. But we want to open up to everyone, and that will involve help.”

What that help looks like isn’t yet clear to the Tomato, but Nisha assures me that expanding the business and reaching more customers is high up on their agenda. Some support may come from councils or from charities. “One of the targets for local councils is to be able to provide fresh fruit and veg in certain areas where it's difficult,” says Nisha. It’s early days yet, and while talks are happening and Nisha has “made a few inroads,” there’s not yet a solid plan in place that she’s ready to share with me.

One thing I’m struck by is the sense of community the Green Tomato has managed to build. I’ve reported previously on Leicester Market, and have had traders speak to me extensively about the value of community. It seems it doesn't matter if you're on a stall or on the streets, that community is fuelling independent small businesses throughout the city.