Meet Roots Zero Waste Market

Just outside Boise is an environmental company disguised as a retailer. OGC customer Roots Zero Waste Market & Cafe in Garden City, Idaho, is an independent neighborhood store and the first and only full-service, zero-waste grocery store and cafe in the U.S.

Roots operates in a closed-loop mindset for all consumables and an open heart for community growth. Co-owners Lea Rainey and Zach Yunker opened the store in December 2019 with a mission to eliminate single-use plastic and food waste from the grocery shopping experience while representing farmers and making healthy organic produce affordable and available to everyone.

The duo brought a love for food, co-op know-how and 20 years of tech experience to the venture. Investments in innovations like dry misting technology keeps produce fresh longer and reduces food waste. This alternative to refrigeration uses an ionized saltwater mist to cool produce without lots of moisture - saving water and energy and decreasing the store’s environmental impact. 

Roots inspires shoppers to recycle and compost, creates space for community connections, invests in beginning farmers and provides weekend “fuel kits” to nourish food-insecure kids when away from their school lunchrooms.

OGC is proud to serve Roots and supported their care for community and the planet with a Mission Fund grant in 2022.