Packaging-free shopping.
Even before we started building in Olst, we had wanted to start a kind of food cooperative for the Aardehuis residents. The idea was to buy in bulk together so we could have our own “little store” at home with relatively inexpensive groceries. In the end, things turned out differently—even better, in fact.
ZonderMeer is a spin-off of Olst in Transition and is run by two residents of Aardehuis. With ZonderMeer, Olst not only has a place where you can buy organic rice, macaroni, oatmeal, raisins, almonds, and sunflower seeds at affordable prices, but the products are also sold packaging-free—meaning without all that unnecessary plastic. Anyone visiting the Goede Buren store for ZonderMeer should bring their own containers, jars, or bags.
ZonderMeer is located in the Goede Buren building. As a result, people from Olst and the surrounding area don’t have to travel to Aardehuizen to buy the dry goods, making it easier for them to participate.
There are two ways to participate: simply fill your container, jar, or bag in the store, have it weighed, and pay, or sign up as a regular customer. In the latter case, you’ll receive a reminder every six weeks to place your order. You can put together your order via a link to the order page of BD Totaal, a national wholesaler of organic food products. Once the bulk order arrives, a punch card will be waiting for all regular participants at the Goede Buren checkout, which they can use to pick up their order.
