The Magic of Microbes: From Gut Health to Mushroom Growing

Source Foods is a circular economy initiative based in East London, combining local food-waste management, urban food production, and community training to create regenerative, closed-loop systems. Our mission is to turn local food waste into local abundance—empowering people from all backgrounds to build a greener, more resilient city.

We operate at the intersection of food, energy, and education—demonstrating that the waste from one system can be the fuel for another.

Our work follows a fully circular process that keeps resources flowing locally, reducing carbon emissions and strengthening community resilience.

We collect and process food waste using anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting, transforming organic waste into valuable by-products—biofuel, compost, and microbial-rich soil amendments.

We grow fresh produce using:

• Hydroponics – Water-efficient, high-yield growing
• Mushroom cultivation – Repurposing unused urban spaces
• Soil-based regenerative gardening – Using waste by-products as substrate

All our food is grown using the outputs from our waste systems where possible, and sold back into the local community, keeping the nutrient cycle truly circular.

Any food waste that returns is re-processed and reintroduced to the system.

We apply circular thinking to energy and ecology:

• Biofuel from anaerobic digestion powers community assets like saunas
• Constructed wetlands purify substrates from our systems and boost biodiversity
• Microbes and fungi help us regenerate the city

As part of Tower Hamlets Green Week, we're hosting an immersive, hands-on workshop that connects the dots between our inner ecosystems and the city’s circular systems.

In this workshop, you’ll explore:

🧬 Your own personal gut microbiome
🌱 The powerful connection between soil health and human health
♻️ How microbes turn waste into fuel
🛒 Why locally grown food supports better health and sustainability
🏠 Practical ways to reduce your carbon footprint at home

Plus! 🍄 Hands-On Mushroom Growing Demo
Led by our head mushroom grower Alani, you’ll get a live demonstration and a chance to buy your own grow-at-home kit.

✅ Free to attend | 🛍 Kits available for purchase
🌍 Part of Green Week by Idea Store Tower Hamlets

📅 Monday 3rd November

🕕 13:00pm–15:00pm
📍 R-Urban, Poplar, E14 0SP

Spaces are limited—register now to secure your place!

Visit www.sourcefoods.uk
We’re based at community hubs like Gainsborough Primary School and R-Urban Poplar, and offer site visits, CSR partnerships, and public workshops year-round.

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R-Urban Poplar, Brion Place, London, United Kingdom

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