Twist and Sprout makes market debut in regional Victoria

After months of planning, one of the first projects under the umbrella of Sprout Village has had its debut at the Emerald Bank Market in Shepparton on 7th November. Twist and Sprout is a small business started by yours truly. It arose out of a wish to have an affordable low-waste refill business for people in northern central Victoria. In larger cities in Australia, there are some bulk and zero-waste shops, but outside of the major metropolitan areas, this type of shop is lacking. So I decided to create my own.

Liquid hair, body and cleaning products can be purchased by weight in any container you choose.

Twist and Sprout provides a range of pantry items, personal care and cleaning products. In the future I hope to also provide flour, sugar, tea, coffee, and much, much more.

Soap bars for both body and dishes are available, as are accessories for cleaning such as dishwashing brushes, pot scrubbers, and soap bags.

Single-use plastic accounts for about half of all plastic ever made, and only 9% of all plastic is every recycled. So while recycling is a fantastic way to reduce the environmental impact of the products we buy, removing that individual packaging altogether is even better.

The pantry basics such as pasta, rice, oats and quinoa are a popular choice.

The ideal scenario is that customers bring their own containers to refill. Otherwise, we have free jars or recycled paper bags to use. We also sell reusable bulk food bags, reusable zip-lock bags, and new jars. See the Twist and Sprout website for more information on shopping zero-waste.

Zero-waste shopping is a new way to shop for most people, but there are plenty of options to ensure you can steer clear of single use plastic in your shopping.

I was delighted to also stock some delicious and nutritious microgreens, grown by my husband at Sprout Farms. Sprout Farms is the other business created this year within the vision of Sprout Village, and currently sells microgreens and mushrooms to local restaurants. They will also be part of Twist and Sprout's offerings at upcoming markets.

Microgreens from Sprout Farms are packed with nutrition and make a delicious addition to your meals.

The market on Sunday was a beautiful spring day, and I had some fantastic conversations with people who had been looking for a store like Twist and Sprout to do their regular pantry shopping. I look forward to meeting more people and providing you with high quality, low-waste products when Twist and Sprout next attends the Emerald Bank Market on on Sunday 21st November.

Article originally appeared in Sprout Village.