Zero-Waste Grocery Stores and the Future of Food: An Interview with Katie Fletcher of Local Scoop
What does the future of grocery stores look like to you? To Katie Fletcher, it looks a lot like the Local Scoop, a zero-waste, bulk grocery store located in Encinitas, California. Katie started Local Scoop in 2022 after studying abroad and getting used to shopping at healthy bulk food stores — stores that she couldn’t find in the United States.
Local Scoop provides products ranging from bulk spices and herbs, to flour, pasta, grains, teas, and even household and kitchen products like microplastic-free sponges. There’s no packaging at all in the store — customers bring their own jars and bags to house their purchases, and pay entirely based on weight. The entire process is quick and simple, and focused on not just providing healthy, natural options, but completely eliminating plastic and single-use containers and goods from the shopping experience.
In the interview below, we explore topics like the future of grocery stores, building resilience in your food choices, obstacles in starting a business, and the importance of community support!
If you’d like to learn more about Local Scoop, check out their website, Instagram, or Facebook.
I’m chiefly interested in the concepts of resilience — personal, communal, and societal. Your store seems to hit on all of these fronts — creating personal and communal resilience through sustainability and zero waste, with an eye towards ultimately creating a resilient society. What does the concept of resilience mean to you?
To me, resiliency means adapting and returning from challenges while staying true to my values and goals. In the face of adversity (to the business, the planet, etc.) I remain determined, persistent, and passionate about positively impacting the environment and society. Since the beginning, I have not been afraid to take risks, try new things, and learn from my mistakes, all while staying committed to sustainability and ethical practices.
I never know what is around the bend for me, both positive and negative. Despite the uncertainty, building a sustainable business takes time and effort. Still, I am more than willing to invest everything I have to create a better future for myself, my community, and the world around us. Ultimately, resilience to me means leading by example and embracing all opportunities to be a trailblazer, inspire others, and make a difference in the world.
What are some ways that you’ve tried to build resilience in your own life?
I’ve always been an athlete, playing D1 soccer at Yale and testing the waters in triathlon in the years since graduation. These experiences have led me to be very comfortable with the uncomfortable. I take a lot of pride in my ability to remain calm despite things being scary, stressful, painful, or overwhelming. I do feel all of these things, often and deeply. But I feel unwavering in my ability to stay the course, take a deep breath, and continue putting one foot in front of the other. I am extremely focused and goal oriented, both attributes that unsure I will absolutely never give up on things I care a lot about once I have set out to do them.
You’ve had an interesting background with an emphasis on health and nutrition, but with a stint as a marketer as well. How have these past experiences helped you with your efforts at Local Scoop? Was there anything that you were surprised translated? Was there anything that didn’t translate at all as you transitioned to opening your own business?
I think every experience I’ve had professionally before Local Scoop has benefitted my process in one way or another. Being at a non-profit instilled a desire to do meaningful, challenging work that aligns with my current job. Start-up culture later taught me the value of dynamism and the ability to wear many hats and juggle many balls.
I like working with a team, but entrepreneurism can be a lonely pursuit. Before hiring store associates, I craved the camaraderie of shared goals, teamwork, and brainstorming. I have had help from friends and family since day one, but hiring Local Scoop-exclusive employees has been a gratifying experience.
What was the biggest obstacle in opening The Local Scoop? How did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle in opening Local Scoop was getting the right permits! Working with the city and county can be a really daunting task that you want to get right the first time around. It can be a waiting game, that is for sure, but it is essential and I am grateful for the learning experience.
How has community support been for The Local Scoop?
Support from the community has been and continues to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Almost weekly, customers come in to “thank me” for bringing this to our community or to tell me, “we’ve been waiting for this for so long!” These kinds of comments mean the world to me. Our grand opening was also a resounding success beyond what I could have imagined. The business continues to grow monthly, so I think the community is starting to learn about us and our ethos and support us!
What challenges do you foresee in the future? What opportunities?
I think it will be an ongoing challenge to educate the community on why they should care about shopping package free will be ongoing. Helping customers see how bringing their own containers can be simple, affordable, and sustainable is a big task, but I am definitely up to the challenge. I see opportunities to expand our current space or expand into additional locations so we can spread the message of zero-waste and empower our customers to do more with less plastic.
I’d imagine that the concept of a “Zero-Waste grocery store” is new for a lot of people. Can you talk a little bit more about what that entails? How have you been working to educate this concept to the general public?
I have been continually trying to move my life towards a plastic-free, zero-waste one, so I feel confident in my ability to speak to those experiences and be seen as a resource towards others at any point on their own zero-waste journey. Of course, the concept is novel — but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! People come in and are so excited and receptive, often saying things like “wow, this just makes so much sense!”
I will continue these efforts through myself and my employees through the store, and also attend as many community events as possible throughout the year. Encinitas has a lot of sustainability and zero-waste focused events, so it is a great space to start and continue the conversation!
What do you see as the future of grocery stores?
I genuinely believe there is no way grocery stores can continue to operate the way they do right now. There is SO much waste and an absurd amount of plastic. Consumers are becoming more engaged around conversations regarding food and packaging waste. Finding ways to address both of these concerns simultaneously is key. Local Scoop does this by allowing customers to bring their own reusable containers and offering a “buy as much or as little as you need” model. It really is a win-win.
In recent years, there seems to be a movement towards keeping food minimally processed and staying local. Would you agree with that assessment? What do you see as the future of food?
Absolutely. Customers are exhausted by the confusing, misleading, and often contradictory messages about what is and isn’t healthy. Every month it seems there is a new food that is either killing us or helping us live forever. It is all overwhelming. By stripping food down to just a few, recognizable, easy to read and pronounce ingredients, we are able to eat foods that are good for us and the planet. It is “food in the nude,” and it isn’t confusing or opinionated.
I’d imagine the concept of a package-free grocery store would have been tough to operate during the Covid years. How have you worked to build resilience into your business model?
We weren’t open during COVID, but that would have been very difficult. I believe we would have moved the business towards allowing customers to order online in the quantities they need for themselves and their families, and then we would prepackage them in our compostable paper bags or in jars from our jar recycle program for pick up or delivery.
What’s your favorite item that you stock? Has there been anything that you’ve been surprised has done so well?
I absolutely love our pulp chips, which are made from the recycled pulp produced during the commercial juicing process. This delicious, nutrient dense pulp was being thrown away until a female-founded company in Los Angeles started collecting this pulp and repurposing it into the most delicious, addicting chips.
I have been really surprised that dark chocolate pretzels have been such a big seller for us! We also sell vegan, gluten-free, local raw protein balls that literally fly off the shelves. I definitely would not have predicted that!
Those protein balls really are great — my wife loves them! What are some tips and tricks you can give towards others working to achieve Zero Waste in their own lives?
I always recommend that people use what they already have until the end of its usable life. There is no need to get rid of your plastic toothbrush, sponge, hairbrush, etc. if it is still in working condition. However, once an item can no longer be used, it would be wonderful to replace it with a more sustainable product, such as something made from bamboo.
What are some ways that others can build resilience in their own life, especially with regards to food systems?
I think being educated on where your food comes from and what values are important to you regarding farming, food waste, and regenerative agriculture are a great place to start. If you don’t know where your food comes from or what is the state of the food system in our community and beyond, you probably won’t care much about the negative or positive impacts your choices can make. You can build resilience to corruption simply through the purchasing power of your dollar and where you chose to spend it when it comes to food.
What’s next for The Local Scoop?
Many spring and summer events to bring together the community with local food purveyors and awesome members of our food system!
What are the best ways for people to learn more, and support you and The Local Scoop?
Come visit us in the store! Our hours are Monday — Friday 11–7, and Saturday — Sunday 10–6. You can also visit our website, send us an email, or follow us on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook.
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