The first organic and bulk grocery store in Reunion opened its doors in January 2016. It remains at the forefront of zero waste and anti-waste commerce and has gained muscle by installing a second point of sale with restaurant in Saint-Gilles.
Five years : suffice to say that the Wake Up ship ! took off for a good time seeing the smile of its founder Nelly Fontaine. What happened during these five years ? “We learned our trade as entrepreneurs. We went from two to eight employees. One year after the Sainte-Clotilde store in 2016, we opened the one in Saint-Gilles. Marine, the founder of Planète Vegan in Saint-Denis, joined us. She takes care of our organic and vegetarian restaurant Wake Up ! Kitchen, the first AB-certified Reunion restaurant. »
Concept side on the other hand, no change : zero packaging waste and anti-waste consumption are the rule thanks to bulk sales. five years ago, Wake Up ! Sainte-Clotilde had left more than one skeptic with this desire to reduce packaging to what was strictly necessary by encouraging customers to return with their own container.. A row of glass dispensers lined up, and always align, pasta, cereals, grains secs, lentils, flour, etc. Bulk also for spices, sugar, tea, coffee. Obviously in fruit, vegetables, egg. You fill your own returnable bottles of wine and oil. Ecological cosmetics and body care completed the offer.
A local business
La boutique Wake Up ! of Sainte-Clotilde very quickly found its audience and it was the same for that of Saint-Gilles. The evolution of the organic landscape of Reunion, during these five years, only confirmed Nelly Fontaine in her choice. “Before founding Wake Up !, I worked in luxury cosmetics, she reminds. It was motherhood that made me want to do something meaningful, In my opinion, for others and for the planet. I wanted to work in a place where I felt good, myself. »
Le concept, originally inspired by Germany and France, has refined. Wake Up ! defines itself first and foremost as an organic, zero-waste local business. also a way to clearly distinguish yourself from organic in industrial and mass distribution mode.
New suppliers have come to enrich the initial bulk offer. Cost of course, but also in cleaning products, gels shower, shampoos, and even perfumes with the French brand 100 Bon which offers an in-store filling system for the bottle purchased the first time. Among the strengthening of the organic offer, Menstrual panties should also be mentioned. Bulk hygiene, regularly checked by Fraud Repression, is impeccable, another sign of the level of professionalism achieved by Wake Up !.
Friends, not competitors
In five years, Wake Up ! has made several emulators, especially in Saint-Pierre. “Colleagues, same friends, and not competitors for me. » Proof that responsible consumption meets expectations that are growing slowly but surely. Another of Nelly Fontaine’s satisfactions is seeing how customers who come for the first time out of curiosity (“some people don’t even know what an organic product is”), adopt new habits. “When we started, 30 to 40% of people returned with their container. Today, we are close to 80%. »
