Wholefood Unwrapped Collective offers range of grocery items

Gabrielle Pestinger saw that in the hospitality and food service sectors, plastic packaging is creating a significant amount of waste which often goes into landfill. In 2018, she initiated the ‘Unwrapped’ project aimed at reducing this waste by eliminating packaging in the food system by using durable reusable containers that supply customers with produce direct from farm to plate.

What it means for customers

Wholefood Unwrapped Collective (WUC) started with a small inventory of tofu, beans, and legumes and was initially run out of Gabrielle’s home in North Coburg. She started WUC as a community-based initiative on social media and received remarkable community support for the service. Customers started to bring their own containers to collect wholefoods and grocery items and the BYO container movement became popular in the local community.

Whilst working out of her home, Gabrielle started a small container library where customers could borrow reusable containers and return them after use. As the popularity of WUC grew, Gabrielle expanded their offerings to include more items such as baked goods, dried fruits and homecooked meals.

WUC now has a store located on Sydney Road where customers can order and pick up wholefood items.

What it means for the business

In 2021, Gabrielle received funding from Sustainability Victoria as part of the Circular Economy Communities Fund – Round 1. The grant allowed the business to rent a space on Sydney Road and expanded to include a wide range of reusable items such as stainless-steel containers from Returnr, crates, sturdy polycarbonate tubs and reusable bags.

Gabrielle worked with her suppliers and explained practical benefits of reusable items such as affordability and efficiency. The suppliers found reusable systems very easy and cost effective to use.

The impact

With the help of many dedicated volunteers, WUC has grown to more than 2,400 members, with around 300 making regular orders. A recent survey showed that customers changed their behaviour by avoiding single-use packaging and only buying what they needed, and that this business model creates a strong sense of community.

WUC estimates that about 14.5 tonnes of waste were diverted from landfill as a result of their reuse solution.

What’s next?

WUC is continuing to provide fresh and locally produced food as well as forging community connections. They are working with Food Business Boost, an organisation that aims to engage women from migrant and refugee backgrounds experiencing disadvantages and challenges in accessing mainstream employment.

They continue to include food from a diverse range of products including East African breads, spices, samosas, Indian curries, tofu, and noodles and provide small business development opportunities.