Hot Shop: Nada

The first thing that strikes us when stepping into Nada is how it doesn’t exactly resemble a typical grocery. Sure, there are wooden crates containing organic produce and shelves full of fresh greens, but that’s where the similarities end.

Large white bins with transparent lids take up most of the clean, well-lit and neatly sectioned space. Peer in and you’ll find them filled with various types of rice (there’s basmati and sushi rice available here) and pastas (quinoa fusilli and brown rice penne anyone?). Elsewhere, we spy a pretty walled display of organic light rye and french white bread, and gleaming stainless steel dispensers containing organic oils. Alongside these perishables and grains, there are shelves lined with shampoo bars, lip balms and other handy lifestyle accessories like organic beeswax wraps, sandwich bags, stainless steel straws and tiffin cans.

Nada’s founder and CEO Brianne Miller reveals that the brick-and-mortar location has an expanded range of offerings compared to its pop-up days. “We had 100 products for our pop-ups previously, but now we have 650 products in store,” she explains. “A lot of the things we sell are alternatives for single-use plastics. So instead of plastic straws, we have stainless steel straws. Soap, shampoo, and conditioner are things that are hard to get without packaging, so we want to offer alternatives for them. We provide refills for them as well.”

Shopper Asha Wheeldon, who was there with her 18-month-old daughter Halima, is a firm fan of Nada’s green initiatives. “My family is trying to reduce as much waste and packaging as possible, so having a grocery store that does that makes it a lot easier. They also have a lot of local products,” she says.

Miller adds that Nada’s zero-waste concept doesn’t just cater to shoppers—it also influences its suppliers. “A lot of our products, when they can, come to us in our reusable bins so they go direct-to-shelf. With larger companies where it’s not as easy to shift packaging, we work with them to reduce their packaging or use more sustainable options.”

But it’s not just the package-free products that stand out here. During our Monday afternoon visit, we found the in-store shopping experience to be fuss-free and stress-free, thanks to weighing stations that are equipped with digital smart scales for shoppers to easily calculate the cost of their hauls, as well as its friendly, helpful yet unobtrusive staff.

Also in the works: A deli and café, slated to open in the next two weeks and by the end of summer respectively. We’re looking forward to returning—and bringing our stainless-steel straws along! —Isabel Ong

Nada, 675 E. Broadway, Vancouver, 778-806-3783, nadagrocery.com