PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA
Less waste, minimal packaging and more for your money, bulk buying is soaring in popularity
One of the more unusual side effects of the COVID pandemic shelterin- place was a mass stampede toward the baking aisle. Not only were people learning how to make their own bread as a way to keep busy and stay sane, they also dipped into making fun desserts.
And because many home bakers were buying large quantities of flour, sugar and yeast, they discovered bulk foods in a big way. It was tough to keep bulk organic flour in stock last year, according to Eli White, bulk foods manager at the Staff of Life grocery store in Watsonville.
But another side effect of the pandemic was the closure of many bulk food sections at local stores, due to the risk of virus transmission that was thought to be heightened by different shoppers touching the gravity bin levers, lids and scoops, the typical conveyers of retail bulk foods. For some grocery stores, this was a temporary precaution. Other stores, however, still have not reopened their bulk sections. But a few persisted during the height of the pandemic lockdown, and have taken unique measures to avoid virus spread.
The Watsonville Staff of Life store, when it opened in March 2021, kept its bulk section dark and roped off in the beginning, waiting for infection rates to decline in Santa Cruz County. When the section finally did open, the store had an attendant on hand to fill people’s containers, leading to long lines.
Now, though, the section is fully open and available for customers to self-serve, with more than 500 items in stock and new protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. “We’re constantly cleaning the scoops,” says White, and some of the scoops and bins have been replaced with gravity bins, which involve less touch to operate. The same goes for the legendary bulk foods section at the original Staff of Life in Santa Cruz, which has upwards of 700 items available, including lotions, dish soap and tinctures.
At Elroy’s Fine Foods in Monterey, which also had its opening during the pandemic, concierge service in the bulk foods section was planned from the get-go, according to operations manager Camrin Dannelly. Customers simply walk in, tell an employee which items they’d like, and their jar or container will be filled, weighed and handed back for checkout.
Bulk buying is nothing new, although in recent years, it’s taken on new meaning and popularity as a way to achieve a less wasteful lifestyle. Monterey County has several grocery stores and at least one ecolifestyle store that offer bulk products. In Santa Cruz County, there are a plethora of bulk buying options—no doubt due to the county’s history as a co-op stronghold in the 1960s and ’70s. Then, as now, bulk foods were touted as a way to eliminate wasteful packaging and save money. In the 20-plus years that White has worked for Staff of Life, he says he’s seen a three- to four-fold increase in the number of people who buy in bulk.
Typical bulk items include beans, nuts, herbs, teas, spices, whole grains, flour and rice; in recent years, stores have added items like honey, oils, sugars and a wide variety of snack items. There are also unusual items, like the xantham gum you’ll find at Staff of Life—a helpful item for those who bake gluten free—and maple syrup and hemp seeds at Elroy’s. The lineup constantly changes, yet the most popular bulk items tend to be staples such as rolled oats, granola and basmati rice, as well as nut butters that are freshly ground at the stores.
Buying bulk items is not necessarily about buying pantry staples in large quantities. It’s also about buying exactly what you require in the right quantity. As Dannelly recalls, she first fell in love with bulk spices when she found she could buy two ounces of dill for 50 cents—exactly what she needed, and not have to spend $7.99 for a container of dill that would languish in her pantry, unused and forgotten.
Other bulk products are also available if you look beyond food items. Eco Carmel, for example, offers a wide variety of cleansing products that include environment-conscious shampoo, laundry soap and skin care products.
To adopt that zero-waste mindset, shoppers do have to remember to bring in a jar, bottle or other container or buy a reusable container at the store. Glass is what is typically recommended to avoid any chemicals from plastic leaching into the product, and glass is also easy to sterilize and reuse. Some people prefer lightweight cloth bags for items such as dried beans and grains.
Once at the store, you’ll need to get a tare, or weight, for your container, so it can be subtracted at the checkstand. It’s best to tare the jar at the store that you intend to use the jar at, so that there is no confusion for store employees or awkward conversions when different stores use different measures (grams vs. ounces, for instance). You can take an empty container to a register and ask to have it weighed (or some stores will have a scale set up in the bulk department for this purpose). Make note of the tare on the lid with a Sharpie, or on a piece of tape affixed to the container, so you only have to do this once. Buy bulk a few times, and it will become a habit.
“It turns into a lifestyle,” says Dannelly, and it’s something she sees her customers taking to heart. “There’s one family that comes in with their kids, and they all have their containers. They’re teaching their kids that’s what they need to do.”
With reporting by Jessica Tunis
WHERE TO BUY IN BULK
MONTEREY COUNTY
Alma Del Mar
398 Shasta St., Sand City
shampoos, bubble bath and more
almadelmar398.com
Eco Carmel
2 S.W. San Carlos St. between 7th and 8th, Carmel
cleaning products, personal care
831.624.1222
ecocarmel.com
Elroy’s Fine Foods
15 Soledad Drive, Monterey
food items, oils, herbs and more
831.373.3737
elroysfinefoods.com
Whole Foods
800 Del Monte Center, Monterey
food items
831.333.1600
wholefoods.com
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
Ethos
101 Capitola Ave., Capitola
cleaning products, body care
831.854.2490
ethossantacruz.com
New Leaf Community Markets
locations in Aptos, Capitola, downtown and Westside Santa Cruz
food items and more
831.685.8500
newleaf.com
Staff of Life
1266 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz
food items, spices, cleaning products and more
831.423.8632
staffoflifemarket.com
Staff of Life
906 E. Lake Avenue, Watsonville
food items, spices, teas and more
831.726.0240
staffoflifemarket.com
The Food Bin & Herb Room
1130 Mission St., Santa Cruz
food items, teas, Chinese herbs, body care
831.423.5526 (Food Bin)
831.429.8108 (Herb Room)
foodbinherbroom.com
Whole Foods
1710 41st Ave., Capitola
food items
831.464.2900
wholefoods.com
Whole Foods
911 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz
food items
831.426.9901
wholefoods.com
Wild Roots Market
13159 Central Ave., Boulder Creek
food items and more
831.338.7211
wildrootsmarket.com
Wild Roots Market
6240 Hwy. 9, Felton
food items and more
831.335.7322
wildrootsmarket.com
About the author
Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in north Monterey County, writes about the environment, sustainable living and health for numerous publications and websites. She is the co-author of “Humbled: How California’s Monterey Bay Escaped Industrial Ruin.”
