Passionate about protecting the environment and reducing her and her family's own plastic waste output, Kelly Dreyer has opened Shepparton's first zero waste bulk whole foods store.
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Located at Bodhi Studio in Edward St, Ms Dreyer said opening a store in the space had been a dream since she first established her business about a year ago.
A naturopath and yoga teacher, Ms Dreyer said her wellness journey began about 14 years ago, and her zero waste journey about three.
"With three kids, I noticed just how much plastic waste we have," she said.
"Pretty much everything is plastic and I'd had enough of it."
Opening the store on Thursday, Ms Dreyer said she was delighted to see a large number of people pop in already, with their containers and jars in hand.
"We had a constant flow yesterday," she said.
"I was really impressed to see about half of the customers had brought along their own jars.
"I thought it would be slow but it was nice to see the community jumping on board, it shows they are thinking about it."
Ms Dreyer also said it was great to see people simply coming through to have a look at the range, getting an idea for future purchases.
Bodhi Studio stocks a large range of flours, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, teas, herbs, spices and cereals along with other cooking essentials.
You can also find cleaning products, cosmetics and personal care items as well as sustainable bags and wraps.
Customers can either use the compostable paper bags provided or bring along any containers they have around the house.
Ms Dreyer hopes to continue expanding the range in the future, offering a larger range of beauty products as well as introducing sustainable household cleaning utensils.
She also said there could be the possibility of expanding the store size physically, if the demand from customers continued.
"I'm hoping to tailor the items around the customers," she said.
"I've already had customers asking for certain things so I'm looking forward to growing the range."
Ms Dreyer said she was also hoping to create an online click-and-collect ordering process for busy families.
Bodhi Studio's Bulk Whole Food Store is located at 14 Edward St, Shepparton.
The store is open Tuesday 9am-4pm, Wednesday 12.30pm to 5.30pm, Thursday 9am to 5.30pm, Friday 12.30pm to 5.30pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30pm.
For more information, visit bodhistudio.com.au or phone Kelly on 0407 844 169.
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