A Zero waste shopping experience

Wouldn’t it be nice if going to the grocery store could be a “feel good” experience – something that we really looked forward to? Well a neighbourhood grocer in. gredients, in Austin, Texas has managed to achieve just this.  By offering residents a zero waste, local, fresh and organic shopping experience. The mission of this Service is to minimize waste and promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles by selling local food with pure ingredients, package-free.

Precycling is at the core of in.gredients’ business model and so they encourage customers to bring their own containers. Customers need to weigh and sticker the containers and then reuse them on every visit. To encourage precycling, they offer a portion of the bill to a charity every time a Customer uses their own container. In case a customer does not have a container, they offer both reusable and compostable containers in-store. Once a customer fills up containers with the produce, they reweigh and pay. This actually minimises wastage of produce as well, as customers only purchase exactly the quantity they require. Customer as co producers has worked for this collaborative model. In fact their seed capital to start the venture was a result of crowdfunding.
However in.gredients doesn’t just stop at providing sustainable shopping. They have managed to create a sense of community that promotes common values and makes the entire experience enjoyable.  Having a common space with a small cafe offering freshly prepard food and beer on tap offers customers a place to hang out. A website, blog and facebook group where customers can share recipes and connect helps promote interaction. An active calendar facilitates regular activities – music jams, happy hour, book club, culinary workshops are just few of the events that bring the community together.  A simple service has been transformed into a complete experience!
 
Find out more:
http://in.gredients.com/