My bags are packed, but not for a vacation. They’re full of reusable containers for a bulk shopping trip! 😆 Since striving for zero waste, I’ve been trying lots of new things, including how and where I buy my food.
Yesterday, I picked up my first order from NousRire, a zero waste pop-up bulk store with pickup points throughout Quebec. NousRire sells organic food in bulk through a network of collection points run by volunteers. I placed my order online last month, choosing pantry staples like organic coffee, brown rice, flour, olive oil, sunflower oil and peanut butter. Then yesterday, the day of my pickup, I packed a carryon suitcase full of reusable containers and drove to my pickup location, a church basement 30 minutes from my house. Upon arrival, I was handed a printout of my order that I brought to various stations around the room that were stocked with bulk ingredients in large paper sacks. Volunteers were equipped with balances to fill customers’ containers. I stood in three different lines to get my order filled then headed home with organic, zero waste groceries 😋
NousRire’s business model relies on customers buying in large quantities (for example, minimum quantity of flour is 1kg), volunteers to fill containers (they get a discount off their own orders) and low overhead cost since they don’t maintain multiple physical locations. I wish there were a pickup point closer to my home, but I love the concept and hope to see similar cooperative businesses open in towns/cities everywhere! 😃💚🌎