Currently, to buy pasta in bulk, you have to go to a supermarket or an organic grocery store, and sometimes make several stores to find all the products you are looking for. In Rennes, thanks to the company DurabL, bulk products are delivered directly to the buyer.
This is the idea that Nicolas Robin and Roderic Vo Van Qui had when they created their company in February 2020: “We wanted to offer a consumption model for individuals that is really simple. The products are delivered in bulk » explains one of the co-founder.
For individuals and professionals
A successful bet since the two friends delivered nearly 700 individuals since the start of the adventure. They also expanded the team with two more people. And they did not stop there: four months ago, DurabL took on another dimension by opening up to professionals: restaurants, cafes, bars, bakeries … now they can order from among the 300 products offered by the SME.
We realized that this was of interest to individuals, but also to restaurateurs who have fewer options to do their shopping in bulk.
Today, more than 35 establishments have chosen DurabL. This is the case with Marine, responsible for Little Buddies, a restaurant in Rennes. Already a follower of zero waste in her personal life, the cook sought to do the same in her professional life … But until now, no bulk offer existed. So when Nicolas Robin and Roderic Vo Van Qui came to see her, “We said to ourselves that finally someone was offering this kind of product for professionals. “
Greener delivery
DurabL has enabled the restaurateur to considerably reduce her recyclable waste: _ “The salty and sweet groceries are really what generated the most waste in our region, in plastic waste anyway. With this bulk system, we have really been able to reduce the number of packaging ”. _To stay in line with sustainable development, Roderic Vo Van Qui and Nicolas Robin have thought of everything, right up to delivery. They settled in the old La Poste warehouse, just next to Urby, a service that offers cargo bike delivery.
Delivered in recycled containers
DurabL also collects the containers in which pasta, rice and oil are delivered: “We peel off the labels, wash them, dry them and then it starts again. “ The containers are thus returnable, which makes it possible to reuse them and further reduce plastic waste.
The two founders are confident about the future of their business. DurabL’s proposal seems to be attractive since “We are now contacted by other organizations, such as nurseries, school canteens, etc. They also want to switch to a bulk consumption mode, ” smiles Nicolas Robin. To order, individuals and professionals can go to the company’s website.
Report by Agathe Legrand