In.gredients – Now Open! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Every now and then, you find a business that you just love. This weekend, in.gredients became that place for me. They opened their doors on August 4th and I’ve been there twice already. They offer local, fresh organic items, many of which are zero packaging. Only food safety regulations stop some items from being zero waste, but the packaging is as minimal as possible. It was refreshing to see no styrofoam in a store. They bring reduce, reuse, recycle to a height that makes me giddy.

They have a charming building at 2610B Manor Rd that is bright and welcoming with their own garden and large picnic tables out front.  The staff is as warm and welcoming as the location and they are ready for your questions and there to assist you or even give you a tour.

Quotes from in.gredients:

“in.gredients is a neighborhood microgrocer selling local food with pure ingredients, package-free. Think grocery store in scope, convenience store in scale.”

“NOW OPEN: We’re in.gredients, Austin’s zero-waste, package-free microgrocer selling local food with pure ingredients.”

“There’s no waste in nature. Waste is a human invention. As good stewards of our environment, our top priority is to reduce the amount of waste we produce and reuse what we have. ”

One of my favorite things were the bulk bins that haven’t been filled yet. in.gredients put suggestion labels on the bins to serve their local patrons in a meaningful and personal way.

So how does this work? Well, you do need to prepare to shop. All you need are your bags and your clean empty containers. The tare station is right inside the front door and you weigh your empty container so that you’re not paying for it’s weight at the counter. Ingenious!

If you don’t have enough or the proper containers, you can purchase them right in the store.

Most of us are quite used to dry bulk goods. I was mesmerized by the bulk liquid containers. They offer oils and vinegars. There are also laundry and dishsoaps.

Other offerings include beer and wine (you can purchase a glass growler if you don’t have one,) fresh baked bread from Easy Tiger, produce from our local farms, fresh eggs, milk, meat from organic and free range farms and a soda fountain with pure sugar sodas.

So what are you waiting for, Austin? Grab your empties and head over to in.gredients!

See you there!