Community food market offers three months rent-free to culinary entrepreneurs

A community marketplace is offering a rent-free tenure in at its premises to one lucky entrepreneur.

Mercato Metropolitano a sustainable community food market, it is focused on building communities around healthy and affordable food in urban neighbourhoods.

The group run a collection of sustainable marketplaces across London including in Elephant and Castle, Mayfair, Wood Wharf, Elephant Park and Ilford.

But it is not just a market, Mercato Metropolitano has formed its own movement, MMovement, to help make sure food is a basic human right and accessible to everyone.

It’s latest initiative, DreaMM plans to support a local entrepreneur in their first step towards a successful business by offering them free accommodation for three months.

Alongside the rent-free tenure, the selected entrepreneur will have access to free consultations with the MM team to help them create a business plan, source sustainable, local ingredients, receive branding and marketing advice, and much more.

They will also receive support and advice from one of MM’s current trading partners.

Andrea Rasca, Mercato Metropolitano’s CEO and leader of the MMovement, said: “Community building is at the very heart of the MM ethos. 

“We believe in encouraging human interaction, in the spirit of community and engagement, and in creating thriving, vibrant urban communities, and what better way to do that than sitting around a table and sharing good food with friends and family?

“As part of this, we’re passionate about supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs who have innovative and sustainable business concepts, to help bring their dreaMM to life, and to make a living from their culinary craft.

“Unfortunately, the current cost of living crisis poses a major threat to local businesses and to those looking to embark on a new adventure.

“So we want to provide all the necessary means to enable one person’s dreaMM business to come to life.

“We’ve built a wonderful model which offers all of the tools that our trading partners need – we source the best ingredients, sort out the waste and recycling, cleaning, and much more. All we ask them to do is cook.”

Submissions are open until May 30, with applicants asked to answer a few questions, either in writing or through a short video. 

Shortlisted entries will then be invited to pitch their proposal in-person to a number of panelists on June 15 and then a winner will be selected.

For more information, or to apply to become a ‘dreaMMer’, visit: https://mercatometropolitano.com/dreamm-with-us/

Pictured top: Mercato Metropolitano market place (Picture: Mercato Metropolitano)