Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Herrera
Hi Maria, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was working for a start up and decided it was time to do something different, though I didn’t know what that was yet. I took three months off to recharge and figure out next steps. Right at the end of those three months, I went to one of my favorite grocery stores at the time, The Mighty Bin, to refill on my groceries. As I was doing my shopping that day, I overheard the owner speaking to another customer that she was trying to hand off the store to someone else or ultimately close it down. I was sad to hear the store might close down. I remember going home and a light bulb turning on….”what if this is what I’m supposed to do next?!” That was 9 months ago and here we are now!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This has been one of the greatest challenges I have encountered. I knew running a business was hard, but never did I think it was going to push my “limits” the way it has. Part of the struggle is just the nature of being a business owner and wearing all the different hats. This was particularly challenging because I jumped on a moving train that was almost falling off the rails and I had to keep the train going and keep it from derailing completely while learning all the ins and outs of a business and industry.
Origins Grocer is not your traditional grocery store and that comes with a lot of education, myself included. We have to help people understand why shopping more sustainably is so crucial. Zero-waste does not mean being literally zero-waste, it’s more of a goal that we should all strive for. But, we have to go up against all the convenience and marketing schemes from Big Food and Big Business who are profiting at the expense of our health and planet’s. They have made us so reliant on plastic and there’s so much of it that we don’t know what to do with it and it’s why it’s in our streets, rivers, oceans, and bodies.
We don’t like what grocery stores have become. We are completely disconnected from how and where our food is grown and produced, everything is in plastic and excess packaging, aisles filled with ingredients we can’t pronounce, our food systems and supermarkets controlled by corporations at the expense of our health, communities, and planet. This is not how it was meant to be and it’s what we are trying to change.
We’ve been impressed with Origins Grocer, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a sustainable grocery store and refill store in North Park, San Diego. Customers can bring their own containers to refill their groceries, personal care, and home cleaning products. We want to help people reduce their waste and shop in a way that supports a better world.
The reality is that plastic waste is polluting our planet and our health. Plastic waste goes to the landfill and finds its way into our rivers and oceans, and streets, right here in North Park.
Another part of our mission is to also support makers and creators who share our values and are going the extra mile to create goods that are good for people, our communities, and Planet Earth. We have so many of them here in North Park and we carry them in our store. When customers shop with us, they are not just supporting our small business, but over 100 other small business, some of those local to San Diego.
We believe we can change the world for the better – and we’re starting with our community in San Diego.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I had no industry experience much less retail experience. I’m learning this business and industry as I go and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done but it’s also taught me so much, specially as a Latina woman entrepreneur. I have so much more respect for all the women who are entrepreneurs and one of their biggest fan! We want to work with makers and creators who share our values and we want to help them share their story and have them on our shelves.
One of the times I was in the DR visiting family there was a big rainstorm, the day after the storm we were walking on the beach and there were thousands of plastic bottles and trash washed up on the beach. It was like the ocean’s way of returning it back to us, and this really stuck with me and is one of the moments
Contact Info:
- Website: https://originsgrocer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/originsgrocer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/originsgrocer
Image Credits
Toby Blom
