Our organic shop partner Harmonie Nature - Biomonde opens its doors and tells us about its journey towards zero waste with us. Our partner has seen our company evolve and has followed us relentlessly as we launched new products and developed our bulk distribution solutions. Today, his bulk departments have grown and he shares with us his experience and all the lessons he has learned.
Back to the past! Our collaboration with Harmonie Nature began with a meeting, shared values and the desire to change consumer habits. Raphaël Faucheux has been running this family business founded by his parents for 20 years and now has a team of 10 people. The bulk business began with the shop, there has always been bulk in the shop, with dry bulk products (dried fruit, cereals, pulses) at the start.
Our partner's goal is to enable its customers to consume in a sustainable and virtuous way. What does this mean in concrete terms? "Virtuous is first and foremost common sense: consuming good seasonal, local and artisanal products, but also with an approach that reduces theenvironmental impactofboth transport and packagingasmuch as possible. ”
Harmonie Nature has launched into the bulk liquid sector with two families of products that are essential and historic: our oils and our vinegars. Raphaël adheres to the selection criteria of our products and is enthusiastic about the ever-wider choice made possible by our distribution solutions. Recently, the team chose to offer our new organic sauces and jams & adapted to bulk, to the delight of their customers. Raphaël couldn't resist our jam, which he says "really comes close to being homemade".
Raphaël thought long and hard about his layout strategy to make as many people as possible discover bulk products. Indeed, bulk products had invaded more and more the shelves in a scattered way in several places of the shop. He recently carried out a test with his team: to create a zero waste island with products for the kitchen, bathroom and laundry as well as zero waste accessories. Customers who are sensitive to the approach can thus find everything they need, with bulk food and non-food productsnearby.
Moreover, Raphaël assures us, he has noticed that mentalities are changing! "Customers are increasingly bringing back their containers, and everyone has become aware that packaging has an ecological value as well as an economic and anti-wastevalue. The consumer society has always taught us to use everything once, whereas "we don't need to use everything once".we absolutely must stop throwing away the container"The consumer society has always taught us to use everything once: jars, bottles, or bags! Harmonie Nature offers our infinitely reusable containers in the shop and has also organised a jar exchange to save more containers from the bin.
For those who are not familiar with bulk, it is not always easy to go shopping without packaging. Our distribution solutions for our committed products allow everyone to take ownership of a system that was not necessarily accessible before. Moreover, our fountains are "square and in compliance with the law" because "we don't do anything with bulk distribution- on the contrary! "Raphaël is quite right: the bulk legislation must be respected in terms of labelling, weight, hygiene and filling of containers.
"The story is only just beginning! As time goes by, the new products on offer in the shops are a surprise. Customers are discovering that there are alternatives to disposables with a fun, simple and independent service. Our partner shop did not hesitate when we launched our new organic, pesticide-free and zero waste wines at the beginning of the year in partnership with Oé. A new and promising range that is likely to be a hit with the upcoming summer season!
Thanks again to you Raphaël and to all your team for your welcome and your trust!
