Danny Nobrega's Founder Club Bids To Save 29-Year-Old Woodingdean Community Greengrocers
Danny Nobrega outside the shop he hopes to save (Credit: Marty Bolt)
Woodingdean's Community Greengrocers at 1 Warren Way closes at the end of October after 29 years, and Danny Nobrega, 41, wants to take over the 796 sq ft site and keep it running as a greengrocer, with a Venezuelan twist. Danny has lived five minutes from the shop for the past nine years, works as a school chef and world foods vendor, and has already put in an offer with the letting agency.
The shop has been run by volunteers from Downs Baptist Church since 1997, selling fresh fruit and veg, homemade jams and marmalades, health foods, traditional sweets, free range eggs and local honey. A notice in the window reads: "Very sadly we have taken the decision to not renew our lease on 6th Dec. Therefore after 29 years the shop will close at the end of October." Until then it's staying open on reduced hours, Tuesdays 10am to 4pm and Thursdays 9am to 12pm.
Danny was born in Venezuela to Portuguese emigrant parents and has been a chef for 20 years. He grew up helping in his family's own small shop, going to markets at dawn for produce, and cooking family dinners from the age of 12. He moved to Portugal at 18, living with his grandparents in a village on Madeira, before eventually settling in Brighton. Since October 2023 he has run Danny Nobrega Worldwide Foodseller, a South American grocery specialist trading online at dannynobrega.com, with Venezuelan products as its focus alongside Costa Rican, Ecuadorian, Colombian, Peruvian, Brazilian, Portuguese and Spanish goods.
"I'm Danny, I'm a local Dad of two and I sell food for a living. I know what a good food shop means for families. I'm not a developer. I'm not a chain. I'm just a Dad dreaming of a place to actually help the community."
Danny Nobrega, on Instagram
Keep It A Greengrocer, Keep It Affordable
Danny's vision for the site is to keep it a greengrocer and keep it affordable, adding a small community corner and a coffee window, a place for parents to stop after the school drop, and somewhere for neighbours to actually talk. He wants to keep the shop's existing free local delivery running too. His plans include fresh fruit and veg displayed outside the shop and a window for selling Venezuelan coffee.
Danny said: "My dad used to have supermarkets back home in Venezuela and being a chef as well, having fresh produce is a good opportunity and it's something that doesn't happen." He added: "Hopefully it's not going to be 'just get rid of it and be like a vape shop' or something else."
He has been talking to locals directly about the plan. "I wanted people to feel involved with it and see it's not just like another shop. I want to show everyone that there is demand for it as well and that together we can do better."
What Happens If The Lease Comes Through
Danny is planning to keep the Community Grocer identity, most likely rebranded as Community Grocer by Danny Nobrega Worldwide Food Seller, rather than starting again under a completely new name. For now he's running the project on his own, though he says he's open to help from any volunteers who want to get involved once the shop is up and running.
His plan puts organic produce and a refill station at the centre of the shop, alongside community shelves showcasing other local producers, rather than turning the whole site over to South American imports. Asked whether he'd juggle the shop alongside his school chef job, Danny was clear he'd go all in: "Let me have it all and I'll dive in headfirst."
If the lease is secured in time, his target is to open on 6 or 7 December, right after the Founder Club's own 6 December deadline. The Founder Club itself has no fixed cap on spots for now, and stays open to new members until that date.
The Founder Club: £50 For £55 Store Credit
To drum up community interest and help fund the move, Danny has launched a "100 Founder Club". For a £50 joining fee, members get £55 in store credit for when the shop opens, plus their name on a Founder Wall inside the shop.
£50 buys £55 in store credit, valid from 7 December 2026 for 12 months. Credit only, not cash, and transferable.
Covers fresh fruit and veg, tropical and South American goods, Venezuelan coffee via the hatch, Sussex meat, and a Fair Trade refill once the shop is open.
If the lease is not secured by 6 December, members' money is 100% refundable within 14 days, or the credit stays valid to use online instead. No fridges or shelving are promised, the site is taken as sold.
Bonus draw: three winners will get an extra £50 credit, for £105 total, drawn on 6 December. Free entry to the draw is available by emailing "Founder Draw" by 5 December.
Membership runs on numbered vouchers 001 to 100, with a founder's name added to the wall by the community table once they join. Interest has grown steadily since launch: 2 founders had joined by 10 September, 20 members by 14 September, and the following 35 numbers are now taken:
001002003004005007008009010011013015017018019020021022023025026030044046047048049054064078084091098099100
The story has also caught the attention of Brighton's daily paper, The Argus, which put Danny on its front page. To join the Founder Club, DM @dannynobrega_foodseller on Instagram or text 07789 008033.
Founder Club, 100 Founders Needed
100 Founder Club, 1 Warren Way
£50 = £55 store credit, valid from 7 December 2026, Venezuelan coffee
Danny from Woodingdean has offered to keep 1 Warren Way as a community greengrocer. 29 years as DBC Community Greengrocers, 1997 to 2026, continuing with a Venezuelan twist.
What you get: £55 credit for £50. Fruit and veg, tropicals, South American goods, Venezuelan coffee via the hatch, Sussex meat, Fair Trade refill.
Valid from 7 December 2026, 12 months, store credit only, transferable. If the lease isn't secured by 6 December, refundable within 14 days, or valid online. No fridges or shelving promised, sold as is.
Bonus draw: 3 winners get an extra £50 credit, £105 total. Draw on 6 December. Free entry available, email "Founder Draw" by 5 December.
How to join: DM @dannynobrega_foodseller, pay by bank transfer or card, voucher numbers 001 to 100. Your name goes on the Founder Wall by the community table.
Can pay by card too. Text 07789 008033.
Woodingdean Community Greengrocers is open on reduced hours until the end of October, Tuesdays 10am to 4pm and Thursdays 9am to 12pm, at 1 Warren Way, Woodingdean, Brighton BN2 6PH.