Maria Granel

Maria Granel sells organic food in bulk, so people can do their grocery shopping without generating packaging waste. Eunice and Eduardo founded it in 2015 as Portugal's first bulk organic grocery store, and one of the earliest in Europe. They started it because they saw a gap between sustainable practices and the way people actually shop from day to day. The first shop opened in Alvalade, Lisbon. A second followed in Campo de Ourique in 2018. Both work on a BYOC (Bring Your Own Container) principle, encouraging customers to bring reusable containers and cut single-use packaging out of their grocery routine. The range of organic bulk food includes cereals, legumes, flours, teas, coffees, nuts and more. Alongside it is a selection of zero-waste accessories such as reusable bags, beeswax wraps, natural personal care products and sustainable kitchen items. The online shop ships across Portugal in packaging that is 100% plastic-free, reusable and compostable, with free shipping above certain thresholds. Maria Granel also runs workshops and community programmes to help individuals and families move to a lower-waste way of living: “Desafio Zero” (Zero Challenge), “Programa Z(h)ero” and “Pantry Makeover” services. It publishes a blog and a podcast to inform and encourage its community. Through @mariagranel.distribuicao, its B2B distribution arm, it supplies sustainable products to resellers across Portugal. Maria Granel has been widely recognised as a pioneer of the zero-waste and conscious consumption movement in Portugal. It works with its community, reports on its environmental performance and has partnerships for ethical sourcing.