PHOTOS BY MATTHEW HAYDEN

A quiet grocery revolution is bubbling up locally as households seek sustainable alternatives to today’s wanton and wasteful grocery shopping experience, but few stores offer solutions.

re_ grocery is an exception.

“We are the only refill grocery store in Los Angeles,” says Joseph Macrino, the store’s co-founder.

An organic, zero-waste store with locations in Studio City, Mar Vista and Highland Park, re_ grocery is prompting shoppers to reimagine how they think about waste, consumption and environmental responsibility.

It offers patrons a wide range of products from fresh produce to oils and spices to hand soap, but for many, practicing an eco-friendly lifestyle is no small task.

Macrino understood this barrier to entry could be hard to cross, so he dared to challenge the traditional shopping paradigm by making sustainability easier.

“If it’s not convenient, if it’s not more affordable, it’s just not worth it to [shoppers] to go the extra little bit, to bring their own containers and, you know, not go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods,” he says.

Since re_ grocery’s start in 2020, the team has worked continually to make restocking as simple as possible. All customers need to do is weigh their containers on the tare station at the front, write the product code on the tag and fill up. If you don’t bring your own containers, the store offers 100% post-consumer recycled paper bags and reusable glass jars for purchase.

re_ grocery has grown into a thriving business, but it began with a modest vision inspired by a co-op in San Francisco called Rainbow Grocery.

After moving to Los Angeles, Macrino and his then-wife, Lauren, were shocked by the lack of grocery stores that allowed refills, and the closest alternatives missed the mark because they did not allow customers to bring their own containers.

So the pair decided to start their own store.

“It was just, like, ‘You know what? I want this thing to exist. It doesn’t exist. Let’s make it happen,’” Macrino says. “And so we raised the money… and just went for it.”

Starting a business is challenging enough, but starting a business during a global pandemic is an extraordinary accomplishment. Despite construction delays and health department restrictions, a line of masked shoppers still stretched down the sidewalk on opening day.

“It’s like a miracle. I can have the products I like and not feel guilty about it. I’m doing something better for me and for the environment.” — Vicki Kirschenbaum, a re_ grocery regular

Co-founder Joseph Macrino (pictured left) couldn’t find a place to shop where he could refill his own containers so he started one. re_ grocery prompts customers to Re-use, Re-cycle and Reimagine their relationship to waste and the environment

While it took time and persistence on the part of Macrino and his team, they eventually got re_ grocery to the place where it was meant to be. (This includes launching a pop-up shop at local farmers’ markets, unlocking nationwide shipping and enlisting business-to-business office snack programs.)

“It’s pretty surreal, to be honest,” he says. “I’m grateful that people have been so supportive of what we’re trying to do because I think people that do come in and are regulars, they really understand how massive the impact can actually be.”

Vicki Kirschenbaum, a member of the Sustainable Burbank Commission and a re_ grocery regular, echoes this sentiment.

“It’s like a miracle,” she says. “I can have the products I like and not feel guilty about it. I’m doing something better for me and for the environment.”

The stores maintain rigorous standards for health, cleanliness and sustainability, buying in bulk and partnering with nonprofits to make sure the little waste that they accumulate gets recycled.

Most products are dried goods with a shelf life that typically lasts over a year.

For perishable items like fresh produce, the store sources weekly from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. The produce is free of stickers and plastic packaging, as you would expect. They aim to source produce without rubber bands or twisty ties, but this isn’t always possible.

Additionally, re_ grocery has developed custom airtight bins that hold a hidden silica packet to reduce moisture and combat spoilage, which keeps food from going to waste.

On Tuesdays, they even offer produce and flowers at half price. In an effort to make zero-waste shopping more accessible and to extend their reach, re_ grocery launched a nationwide shipping program using 100% cellulose-based, backyard-compostable packaging that decomposes in six to eight weeks.

They’re also developing snack racks, which are mini bulk bin setups for corporate offices and an alternative to vending machines.

With plans to open another location in Central or East LA, re_ grocery is proving that sustainable shopping can be both practical and appealing. Macrino plans to eventually open 10 re_ grocery stores in the LA area.

By making zero-waste convenient, modern and even enjoyable, Macrino and his team are transforming environmental consciousness, one bulk bin at a time.

“It takes a little prep, and a little foresight,” Macrino says. “But once you get into it, once you start by getting that jar, it’s kind of hard to go back.”

• re_ grocery Studio City: 12142 Ventura Blvd.
• re_ grocery Highland Park: 5046 York Blvd.
• re_ grocery Mar Vista: 12928 Venice Blvd.

regrocery.co

FIRE UPDATE: We were happy to hear that the stores and staff were out of harm’s way. To support the community, they partnered with the Echo Park Trash Club to organize community cleanup events and will continue to hold them until the cities of Los Angeles and Pasadena complete cleanup efforts.