In the heart of Forest Hill a fresh produce gold mine is leading the way in our battle against climate change. Beetroot and Beans, owned by Anna Kokornacka, is one of the rare zero waste local greengrocers glistening in the centre of the community with its gorgeous display of goods.

A clear conscience with regard to carbon footprint is difficult in a city at a time of climate crisis, but Kokornacka offers an accessible way to replenish food and household supplies in this rustic haven. Customers regularly visit to refill their own reusable containers with cleaning products, beauty products, food and dry goods by weight. Everything is without chemicals and preservatives, an escape from the usual processed supermarket foods.

Kokornacka believes that Londoners waste too much food, as ‘it is so easy for us to get fresh food that maybe we don’t appreciate it enough’. Instead of harnessing a sense of community and sharing leftover food and old items of clothing with neighbours, friends and those in need by donating to charity shops, people tend to exacerbate the inequality of world poverty through waste. Beetroot and Beans is a role model, centralising community and uniquely uniting people through sustainable shopping.

Mutual love between the customers and the owner of this small business heartens the community. Korkornacka truly adores Forest Hill and recognises her shop is ‘like a community shop, people love being there, people love doing shopping, people meet other friends there, Beetroot and Beans also connects people on other levels’. This mirrors Korkornacka’s own story- she moved to Forest Hill from Poland in 2001 and ‘fell in love with Forest Hill from the first day’. From there she found inspiration from her love of people, acting on the perceived need for a shop like Beetroot and Beans while working in a local deli, and was amazed by how much others can inspire you. She became vegan in January following the advice of a friend, and has enthusiastically embraced veganism, with it enhancing her happiness and health.

Kokornacka’s authenticity and love for her community and environment shines an ever-present glow throughout her business. Above all, she says ‘I’m there for you, I made that shop for other people’, within her altruism seeking the happiness of her customers. Her pride in Forest Hill is an inspiration within a city where it is easy to forget the magic of community, as she commends her regular customers for their increasing awareness of their carbon footprint. This support signals how tight-knit the Beetroot and Beans microcosm is. This business has become crucial to the area since its opening in 2019, as Kokornacka says ‘if we go then the community goes’; evidently the cherishing of such a rare development is important to so many individuals.

A new project is anticipated building on the successfully uplifting influence of Beetroot and Beans. Not only is it hoped to connect people and ‘make people feel like they’re part of something’, but it emphasises the importance of kindness and happiness. Through the salvation of environmentally friendly shopping, the message of generosity and the beauty of human connection prevails.