BioCoop, a French organic grocery chain, has opened BioCoop21: Paris’ first all bulk, organic pop-up shop with over 250 options to buy 100% en vrac. The aroma of ripe fruit welcomes customers who come to fill up on groceries at this pocket-sized shop in Paris’ 10ème arrondissement. Small paper bags or durable glass containers can be purchased for one’s dry goods, which include teas, coffees, grains, and legumes. Ideally, clients will bring their own containers, cloth, and paper bags for their bulk shopping needs.
The market even stocks decadent butter cookies from Brittany and artisanal fig bars, without, bien sur, forgetting treats for the gluten-free crowd. There is a traditional French deli counter with everything picnickers need for a meal to go, including sea-green bottles that may be filled with French wine from the regions of Bordeaux, Côtes du Rhone, or the Mediterranean. Locally sourced honey pours from a spout just across from a stand of colorful regional squash and tasty apples. Between 15-20% of the products available in the pop-up come from fewer than 150 kilometers away.
Cleaning products have not been forgotten and their small reusable cloth bags make for practical souvenirs. The initiatives of this forward-thinking company remind us all how easy it is to do more for the planet. Fingers crossed that this baby step towards greener consumption will help spur a larger movement towards supermarkets that promote saving the planet rather than filling its landfills.
This ambitious project appropriately comes right before COP21, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which is coming to Paris November 30 – December 11, 2015.
BioCoop 21- 14 Rue du Château d’Eau, 75010. Open Mon – Sat 11am to 8pm, until December 30. Métro: Republique (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)
Related Links
- Learn more about the new shop on Biocoop’s official opening announcement.
- The waste-free supermarket may be new to Paris, but it’s not a new idea: check out Germany’s first waste-free supermarket which opened in Berlin in summer 2014.
- For both events and food centered around a theme of recycling and eco-consciousness, La REcyclerie is definitely worth the trek.
- Make sure you always have the best organic produce in your Haven in Paris apartment- peek at our list of Paris’ best organic supermarkets to find the one nearest you.
Written by Sylvia Sabes for the HiP Paris Blog. All photos by Jean-Marie Heidinger. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.
