The story so far

The Green Gram evolved out of Gardner’s Zero Waste, a mobile refill shop set up by Alderholt resident Jo Anderson in August 2019. With a nod to her great great grandfather, William Gardner, who owned a dairy and grocery shop in Fulham in the early 1900s, Jo and her trailer built a loyal customer base of people reducing their dependence on single-use plastic. Jo decided to hang up her steering wheel and open a shop in Fordingbridge and in late 2021 a steering group was formed of local people who are passionate about reducing our use of plastic.

With the help of the Plunkett Foundation, an organisation which assists community shops and pubs, the steering group registered The Green Gram Community Refill Shop Limited as a Community Benefit Society in January 2022. Operating as a Community Benefit Society with a share offer allows members of the community to invest both physically and emotionally in the shop. It also means that, over time, The Green Gram will put its profits back into the community, into projects and causes voted for by the Society members.

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The Green Gram opened at 4 Roman Quay, Fordingbridge in May 2022. The local community was really supportive and enthusiastic from the start and the shop went from strength to strength. After just 12 months it was clear that we were outgrowing the space at Roman Quay and bigger premises were sought. Our second share offer was launched in August 2023 and we opened our current premises at 23 High Street in October 2023, a few yards up the road from Roman Quay.

Our share offers have closed, but you can still support The Green Gram by making a donation if you wish- just click on the button at the foot of this page.​​​