Gabriel Ritsema has long hoped to bring a grocery option with a focus on sustainability to Squamish.
Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ritsema鈥檚 shop, , is set to open soon on Tantalus Road.
鈥淥rganically, this has been brewing for a while,鈥� he said. 鈥淪quamish could use a more sustainable option.鈥�
With a strong emphasis on bulk products, one of Ritsema鈥檚 main goals is to eliminate packaging by having customers refilling their own containers, though in current times, he鈥檒l be making compostable bags available as a COVID-friendly option.
鈥淚f we can all just pay attention to how many packages we have to open to make a meal and the impact that that creates, [it would help],鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so accustomed to opening packaging and that鈥檚 how we cook our meals.
鈥淲e鈥檙e numb to how much waste we do produce sometimes and we鈥檙e trying to avoid that.鈥�
The bulk section will have a few different types of storage, he said. There will be gravity-fed bins, so people aren鈥檛 touching the food, with staff frequently sanitizing handles. For items in a bin that need to be scooped or selected with tongs, customers will turn in the utensil to staff for sanitization before re-use.
Ritsema also plans to offer pre-filled containers with customers paying a deposit on the re-useable container.
鈥淲e just have to follow all Vancouver Coastal Health guidelines and sanitize often, and we shouldn鈥檛 have any issues there,鈥� Ritsema said. 鈥淓veryone needs to feel comfortable, so we鈥檒l be navigating that as things progress. There鈥檚 an evolution to everything.鈥�
In addition to bulk staples, Grounded will offer everything from teas to oils and vinegars to soaps while featuring refrigerated and frozen section with eggs, milk, ice cream, frozen fruits, vegetarian and vegan meat and dairy alternatives.
鈥淲e鈥檙e limited on space so we can鈥檛 have the same array of things that the grocery store has, but we鈥檒l have eggs and milk and that sort of thing,鈥� he said.
Vendors include Blue Heron Creamery for the plant-based cheese and he plans to use Sea to Sky suppliers for produce when it is seasonally available.
After getting established, Ritsema hopes to offer smoothies and ready-made food
Ritsema has been hard at work renovating the space, and while there are still some tweaks to be done, the main hold-up has been acquiring permits. He hopes to open by the end of November.
鈥淲e鈥檙e booking our inspections right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e waiting on the little things.鈥�
Though the business hasn鈥檛 yet opened its doors, Ritsema feels welcomed and like he鈥檚 filling a necessary niche in Squamish.
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 here for the outdoors and if we can do our best to be as sustainable as possible and live in alignment with the world that we care about, then that鈥檚 for the better,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a positive response from the community and that feels good.鈥�
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