Greener Groceries
As of November 2023, we are open for both in-store shopping AND online orders.
Reimagine is London, Ontario’s first and only package-free grocery store.
Founded on the belief that everyone should be able to live free from single use plastic, we offer fresh produce, bulk dry goods, frozen foods, cleaning products and more all awaiting your reusable containers and bags.
Anything you can imagine in a plastic package, we’ve reimagined with minimal waste. And because we put our London community first, we source as locally as possible.
All of our products are 100% plant based and cruelty free. We’ve done the work of screening our grocery selection to maximize quality and lighten the impact on the planet we share, so you can achieve convenience without all the waste.
We invite you to stop by. Let’s Reimagine what green groceries can be, together.
OUR STORY
Hi! We’re Kara Rijnen and Heenal Rajani. Now a blended family of six, we were brought together in 2012 by our mutual commitment to minimizing waste globally. We first met in a village in Guatemala while helping the community build a school using eco-bricks, an innovative building block painstakingly crafted by stuffing upwards of 60 used plastic bags into one discarded plastic bottle.
Six years later and living in London, Ontario, we kicked off Reimagine as a three-month pop-up offering bulk goods and zero-waste workshops. Before we knew it, three months had turned into two years, and we were inspired by the difference one idea and a local community could make.
Recognizing that other families were craving more package-free grocery options, we secured a permanent location on Piccadilly Street in the heart of London and kicked off a fundraising campaign to open a greener grocery store.
With an outpouring of support that included 865 individuals contributing to our campaign, we raised more than $88,000 to put toward opening a permanent location for Reimagine.
And because the future we imagine belongs to everyone, we offered store credit for every dollar contributed.
While our momentum was impacted by Covid-19, our vision for our grocery store was not. On December 3, 2020, we opened our package-free grocery store to the public.
Read on to learn more about our grocery store.
REDUCING FOOD WASTE
Did you know that Canadians produce more garbage than any other country in the world? Around 760 kg per person per year, in fact. Our garbage bins and blue boxes get taken away every 8 days, but there’s no such place as “away.” It all goes somewhere.
According to a 2018 City of London report, food makes up 45% of the waste in London's landfills. Most of this food could have been eaten, redistributed, or composted instead of being thrown out, especially since London’s landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2024.
At the same time, it's practically impossible for consumers to avoid waste in the current system. Food is sold with excessive packaging and in super-sized portions. Grocery stores prize uniformity over quality, don't source locally, and won't sell what they consider ugly food.
But Reimagine significantly reduces waste by turning these standard grocery practices on their head.
COMMUNITY ACTIVATION
While the grocery store is the heart of Reimagine, our commitment to the community and minimizing waste does not stop there.
We have a 1600 sq ft community event space where various community partners host free community events that help Londoners to live more sustainably. The event space is also available for private rentals.
In this space one of our partners, the Institute for Community Sustainability, has created London, Ontario’s very own Thing Library, which includes tools for gardening, cooking, construction and more.
The Thing Library reduces the wasteful accumulation of infrequently used things, facilitates skill-sharing, and builds resilience and belonging.