We've recently been asking regular customers for feedback on new products we might start selling. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, which is great as we're sure that the change is the right thing for us to do next at Day Zero.
The journey our family has been on in the last five years has led us to make many changes, and our knowledge has grown hugely. The conversations we have with you guys in the shop have also been really valuable and we're ready to widen that conversation further. In the main, your transactions with us will be "Zero Waste", but cutting out plastic and packaging is only one of the things we're going to be focusing on.
For example, changing to a plant-based diet meant we read how bad for human health animal protein is, and just as importantly, how much of a drain animal agriculture is on the finite resources of our planet. As a consumer, even if you ignore the effect on your own health (!) it makes more sense to buy a plant milk and recycle the pack, than to drink the milk of another species. Simply put, the carbon footprint of oat milk is much lower than cows milk.
So, yes, very soon, you'll be able to buy oat milk from us.
But there's a second reason for the change.
We know life these days can feel busy. When you're in the supermarket you'll sometimes buy things "because it's convenient" rather than wait and get it from Day Zero. While we are immensely grateful to see how many of you are really committed to supporting us, sometimes convenience wins out. To make up for those times, we're going to add a few products to our range, things that come in containers that you can re-use (think coconut milk, nut butter) and things in cans too (because metal cans can be almost indefinitely recycled). That should mean that you buy a few more items from us and that will encourage more loyalty and mean our second year will be even more successful than the first.
Finally, one thing we've talked about many times in the last 12 months is price versus cost (a model where consumers are always seeking the cheapest pricest means margins are cut, workers are exploited and it's the people who can least afford it who suffer the true cost of those actions).
Independent small businesses do not have the buying power of supermarkets. We all work really hard to find products that offer good value, but we can't compete on every line with supermarkets. We buy from wholesalers who are co-operatives (where all employees own a share of the company and are paid equally) and companies committed to a circular refill economy like SESI, who again pay a fair living wage and are a great example to us all in how they're supporting and enhancing their local community.
Never forget that you have the power with every single item you buy. You do make a difference. so we can all choose whether to help a FTSE listed company with a hierarchical structure Filter our money away from the people on the shop floor and up to the top, where it can help a company director buy his second mansion, or whether instead we could help local family businesses thrive.
Thanks for all your support so far. we'll see you in store to further the conversation
Mark, Holly and Merlin x