Rachel Garcia, the Founder of Dry Goods Refillery, stands in front of a wall of dispenseries of grain. Rachel stands with one hand on her hip and a smile on her face. She has shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes, and she's wearing a pale beige V-neck T-shirt under a gray sleeveless cardigan. Clear containers of cereal are lined up to the left of her.
Dry Goods Refillery is a grocery store focused on sustainability and waste reduction. Customers can borrow or bring reusable containers and fill them when they shop. — Dry Goods Refillery

Company Name: Dry Goods Refillery
Location: Montclair, New Jersey
Year Founded: 2020
Website: drygoodsrefillery.com

Dry Goods Refillery, based in Montclair, New Jersey, was selected as a 2024 CO—100 Disruptor for reshaping grocery shopping and proving that eco-conscious choices don’t have to be a luxury.

The family-owned sustainable grocery store and refill shop is the first in the state to introduce a plastic-free, package-free retail experience. Offering more than 275 refillable products — such as grains, oils, and deodorants — while supporting local businesses, it challenges traditional grocery models as a purpose-driven company.

Revolutionizing the grocery experience

Founded in 2020 by Rachel Garcia, Dry Goods Refillery operates on a bold mission to reduce waste and encourage mindful consumerism — all while remaining inclusive.

“The core foundation of our business lies within the idea of people reducing their waste by reusing their own containers or jars … to buy products,” Garcia explained. “The concept of calculating tare weight … [efficiently and easily] was itself a challenge that required innovation.”

This challenge inspired one of the business’s standout innovations: a third-party app integrated with its point-of-sale (POS) system to streamline the process of weighing reusable containers. The result is an efficient and modern shopping experience comparable to traditional grocery stores.

“Walking new customers through the store is usually a pretty fun, interactive experience,” said Garcia. “Essentially, they’re using an RFID tagging system to pre-weigh their containers and that tag automatically deducts the weight upon checkout. Many are very surprised, pleasantly, at how easy the experience is.”

Dry Goods Refillery also offers a “milkman” style container borrowing system, where customers use jars with dishwasher-safe labels for products like tofu and condiments and return them for reuse. This model addresses modern supply chain limitations while staying true to its zero-waste mission.

“[We’ve] saved nearly 150,000 containers from landfill in just a few short years, proving that small daily acts can add up to significant environmental change,” Garcia said.

We believe that people crave human interaction, and … Dry Goods Refillery [has] created a retail space and shopping experience that helps them fill that need…

Rachel Garcia, Founder of Dry Goods Refillery

Building community and circular economies

Dry Goods Refillery’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond its store walls, prioritizing partnerships with small businesses in Montclair and neighboring towns to help build a circular economy.

“We partner to create a circular economy of returnability — stocking our store with coffee or granola, for example, with returnable and reusable tubs or [providing] compostable bag alternatives to bakers and butchers who gladly use our bags … when delivering products,” Garcia explained.

This focus on community-driven sourcing helps Dry Goods Refillery stand out while encouraging other businesses to adopt similar sustainable practices.

“Not only are [small businesses’] products fresher, but … supporting and networking within the small businesses of our town and neighboring communities … allows us to cross-promote, keep inventory leaner, and work together to collaborate to increase successes across the board,” Garcia said.

An added benefit of Dry Goods Refillery’s focus on small-batch local items is that it allows the store to try new things and bring in fresh, exciting inventory with minimal risk.

“Inventory [management] … is a balance of keeping things in stock, but also reacting in a timely fashion, so that we are minimizing risks and therefore maintaining profit margins,” explained Garcia, who has a background as a corporate buyer for a large department store. “Having a portion of our assortment [be] hyper-local or locally made is … a positive strategy in keeping inventories because we have shorter lead times and can react quickly.”

Thriving as a micro-business through strategic practices

As a micro-business with a small team, Dry Goods Refillery has strategically navigated challenges from the pandemic to inflation and rising food costs. Garcia attributes the store’s success to its ability to stay nimble, adapting through initiatives like launching online sales channels and expanding to nationwide shipping.

“[We] have frequently adjusted our sales strategy to maintain our profitability,” Garcia said. “Our focus has fluctuated … as needed to meet customer expectations and requirements.”

The store has also thrived due to Garcia’s leadership style. She’s prioritized hiring great people that she trusts to make good decisions on behalf of herself and the business.

“All entrepreneurs feel stretched thin, but survival at this level is only possible when you have a team of people around you [who] are hard-working and committed to helping see the vision through without you watching over their shoulders all the time,” she said. “We have the most incredible team … because they have been empowered to treat the store as their own and be leaders … to junior staff or [to] our community of customers who rely on them to be experts.”

Ultimately, Garcia has built a workplace culture rooted in mutual respect and collaboration despite the physical demands of retail work.

“Our team of employees have become best friends, roommates, and support systems for each other in times of need,” Garcia said. “This culture can be felt in the store by customers and ultimately trickles down to their positive experience within our store.”

Since its opening, Dry Goods Refillery has achieved double-digit sales growth year over year and garnered national recognition. It continues to inspire change in retail, demonstrating that sustainable shopping can thrive without compromising convenience or profitability.

“We believe that people crave human interaction, and … Dry Goods Refillery [has] created a retail space and shopping experience that helps them fill that need while simultaneously supporting planet-friendly initiatives and …[being] a part of the solution,” Garcia said.

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