Most of us understand that we should be eating healthier food. Instead of picking up another box of processed who-knows-what shipped over from who-knows-where, it’s generally a better idea to get fresh, nutritious, environmentally sustainable products closer to home. But that can prove expensive. Working to overcome this challenge is Community Grocer, a local startup set to deliver healthier products at more affordable prices.
Community Grocer is the brainchild of Vancouver area entrepreneur Michael Menashy, a name you may recognize from Tea Sparrow. In some ways, Community Grocer is similar in that it works on a membership basis. Instead of a subscription, though, you simply opt into the food club and buy your groceries at about a 20-40% discount.
Vancouver is a city filled with people who want to make more eco-conscious, sustainable and healthier lifestyle decisions. That’s why events like the recent Healthy Family Expo and The Wellness Show are so popular. But many of these products can be more expensive than their mass-produced counterparts.
In order to negotiate lower prices from local suppliers, Community Grocer will leverage the collective buying power of scale. That’s why they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to encourage more people to sign up. The funding target of $7,500 is equivalent to 150 purchased memberships at $50 each. It’s what they need to secure a Mount Pleasant facility from which they can ship non-perishable products starting on June 1st.
The $50 annual family membership only kicks in when the service starts and it’s good for up to two adults at the same address. All products sold will be 100% free from artificial ingredients, as they “place high importance on sourcing environmentally sustainable organic and local products.”
If you’ve attended events like the Healthy Family Expo and the Wellness Expo, then many of the brands we expect to see from Community Grocer will sound familiar. You’ll be able to pick up cleaning supplies and diapers from Seventh Generation, milk and cream from Avalon Dairy, soaps from Dr. Bronner’s (we swear by this stuff), healthy cereals from Nature’s Path, kids’ foods from Annie’s, and hemp products from Manitoba Harvest, among others.
The cost of living in Vancouver keeps getting higher, but we still want to feed our families with healthier options. Community Grocer represents a growing movement toward coming together as a community to address our common concerns. You can eat well without eating yourself out of house and home.
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