I was living in New York in the late 1990s and I remember one day calling in to my local grocery store. A lady was asking a member of the staff where she could find some peaches. It was December, in the depth of winter, and there was thick snow on the ground. It certainly wasn’t peach season.
I’d grown up eating fantastic fruit & vegetables. At the time, it struck me that something was seriously wrong with how people had come to think about and consume fruits & vegetables: with no knowledge of the seasons, and an expectation that products would be available regardless the time of year. I already knew back then that I wanted to do something about it. What that something would be I was less sure of.
Nearly 20 years on from that day in New York, and more than 10 years since Natoora was founded, our radically seasonal produce is shaping the way chefs cook in over a thousand kitchens across London, Paris and New York.
Through our presence in the retail community in partnership with Ocado, Waitrose and our high street stores, we are actively engaging consumers in a complete food system revolution.
Franco Fubini
Founder
2004
Our Story Begins
Natoora starts life as the first online Farmers Market, connecting customers to some of
the country’s best butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers and growers. What we do has
changed a lot since then, but we have stayed true to our roots: sourcing directly from
producers who share our dedication to flavour.
2007
Setting off a Revolution
Our work in the online retail business earns us a reputation as the source of directly
sourced, radically seasonal produce. Starting with the River Café, chefs begin to turn to
us to connect them to growers across Europe. We build our wholesale channel from scratch,
grounded in transparency and direct contact with known growers. Our supply chain now
reaches directly into over 600 of the most influential kitchens in London.
2007
Natoora Hub in Milan
We want to know exactly who does what and when in our supply chain. We opened a hub in
the market in Milan to better understand and engage with the journey of produce from
field to kitchen. Since then, we’ve added teams on the ground in Barcelona, Paris, Fondi,
New York and L.A, who together work as a unit to ensure that produce is handled as
minimally and carefully as possible as it travels across our network.
2012
Natoora on Ocado
Our radically seasonal produce launches on Ocado. For the first time, home cooks have the
chance to choose radically seasonal, directly sourced fruit & vegetables over the
intensively grown, year round range of supermarket produce. Our presence on Ocado has
actively engaged more and more consumers in our food system revolution.
2012
A Growing Investment
At the market in Milan, we came across some exceptional tomatoes. Tracking them back to
Francesco in Sicily, we immediately recognised the value of his Datterini, a world apart
from the commercially grown varieties bred to stay on the vine at the expense of flavour.
Our investment in his project has enabled him to acquire another 10,000m² of land, build
a committed team and gain a Global Gap certification.
2013
Natoora Stores
We open our first Natoora shop in Chiswick, southwest London. We’ve since added three
more London stores, with plans for more. Stocking solely seasonal fresh produce and
sustainably sourced dairy and dry goods, these spaces challenge the idea of the
traditional greengrocer and actively engage consumers in our food system revolution.
2014
Good Earth Growers
Our partnership with Sean O’Neill establishes Good Earth
Growers. Rooted in Crocadon Farm, we forge a network of small-scale growers who
share a determination to grow organically for flavour, not yield. The ever-increasing
wealth of produce coming out of this project proves that thoughtful, small-scale growing
communities can compete with industrial agriculture.
2017
Natoora NYC
Our wholesale service launches in New York, connecting kitchens in Brooklyn and Manhattan
to growers of radically flavoursome fruit and vegetables on both coasts. Our unique supply
chain enables us to place fresh produce from Europe directly in the hands of chefs.
Sand-forced Radicchio from Veneto along with Moro Blood Oranges from Sicily broke new
ground on the New York culinary scene.
2018
Natoora Paris
We bring the revolution to Paris, inspiring chefs with exceptional produce direct from
growers within Paris and the rest of France. From further afield, we introduce them to
Forced Yorkshire Rhubarb and Winter Tomatoes from Sicily, never before seen in French
kitchens.
2018
Natoora in Waitrose
In March 2018, a core range of our produce hits select Waitrose stores across London. Side
by side with industrially grown, all year round produce, our radically seasonal fruit and
vegetables spark the beginning of a total revolution in how consumers engage with the food
system.
