Our Story

Parker Dairies began with John Parker, a London milkman with proud Irish roots, a proper grafter and a dream to build something of his own.

John had spent many years as a milkman before Parker Dairies began. He loved being out and about, meeting people and working hard to earn his money; an office job was never going to suit him.

Being a milkman wasn't just a job to John, it was his life. It was on one of his milk rounds that John met the woman he would fall in love with and go on to marry. With a family of his own and a determination to build a better life for them, in 1989 he took a chance and bought his first milk round on the Isle of Dogs.

That round became Parker Dairies.

From that first round, the business steadily grew. More rounds followed, along with more customers and more milkmen. Parker Dairies established its first milk yard in Chrisp Street, Poplar, before later moving to Wood Street in Walthamstow. Today, our traditional electric milk floats call our depot in Woodford home, heading out each night to deliver across London and Essex.

John built Parker Dairies on good old-fashioned East London graft and loyalty. There were no polished presentations or elaborate business plans; what mattered most to John was trust. A handshake meant far more than a written contract. If he shook your hand and gave you his word, he meant it.

“My word is my bond” - the belief that shaped the way John built Parker Dairies and the way the business runs today.

Our milkmen are at the heart of Parker Dairies. Relatives have worked alongside one another and generations have followed each other onto the rounds. They're the people heading out while most of London is still asleep, whatever the weather, making sure our customers wake up to their deliveries on the doorstep.

They get to know the people on their rounds. Over the years they've watched children grow up, seen families move into their first homes and, for some of our longest-serving milkmen, the people they deliver to aren't just customers, many have become friends.

One of our longest-serving milkmen, Steve Hayden, has been delivering milk since the 1980s. In 2026, after more than 40 years as a milkman, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. Four decades delivering around London is a lot of early mornings, and a lot of doorsteps!

Our electric milk floats have also been a familiar site around the streets of London for decades. Keeping them going takes a fair bit of work too. Bernie, our in-house mechanic, has looked after our floats for years, using knowledge that has been passed down from one generation to another. He knows the floats inside out and keeps them going night after night.

Our milkmen, electric floats and delivering milk in glass bottles are part of the traditional milk round that we're incredibly proud of, and something we never want to lose.

However, a lot has changed since John bought his first round in 1989, when the milkman was still part of everyday life in Britain. Supermarkets grew, plastic bottles became the norm and a lot of traditional milk rounds disappeared.

Today, we operate 20 rounds serving more than 12,000 customers across London and South Essex including doorstep, schools, cafes, restaurants, care homes and offices. Our customers can buy a lot more than milk these days too. Bread, eggs, juice, butter, cheese, dairy-free products and everyday essentials can all be delivered straight to their doorstep. They can order online, change their regular deliveries and book holidays, all managed digitally.

But at heart, Parker Dairies has simply carried on doing what it has always done. It remains the same family business and the actual milk round hasn't changed all that much. While London sleeps, we go out throughout the night, so when the city wakes, the milk is on the doorstep. We're proud of our East London roots and the people who make the business what it is. We value the relationships we have with our customers, milkmen, suppliers and local communities.

We wouldn't still be going 37 years later without them.