Plastic / package free grocery shopping is the way of the future. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. At Be Free Grocer, however, it is. Owner Bron and her friendly staff are 100% committed to sourcing the lowest impact groceries around, and they do it with a lot of joy.

Be Free offers shoppers a chance to reduce their impact, support local and simply relax - all at the same time. The shop itself, situated within Square Edge Arts Centre, is full of natural light and thoughtfully designed displays. Be Free stocks a huge selection of flours, pastas, beans, nuts, trail mixes, rices, dried fruits, spices, teas and other dried goods, as well as mum / baby supplies, bathroom products, body products, home cleaning supplies and kitchen tools.

The dry goods containers are arranged neatly without breaking up the space, and the whole hearted tidiness of it all makes Be Free a place you’ll simply want to spend time in. It’s the products found here and the people that source them, however, that truly set Be Free apart.

With more package free grocery stores on the scene, it’s easy to forget that the products do have to travel to get to you. And that journey often involves a lot of packaging. Bron and her team do their level best to eliminate plastic at ALL stages of the process. The coconut muesli, for example, is made by Wholegrain Organics who are located just across the road. The muesli is delivered to Be Free on foot in a container that gets used again and again. The Coffee Go Go beans are much the same and are made by a local micro roastery.  They’re all about cutting out packaging across the board at Be Free, as well as being as transparent as possible about the whole process. The friendly team are happy to share all that they know about these special products and their producers with you, too.

As you might’ve gathered, a huge selection of the goods found at Be Free are made locally in Palmerston North. Along the back of the shop, you’ll find the Little Foot bathroom, kitchen, laundry and body products. They’re natural, low impact and lovable. Little Foot hand sanitiser, for one, is scented with tea tree and peppermint oil. Solid Oral Care toothpaste tabs, reusable floss, sustainable plasters, cotton buds, soaps, hand creams, essential oils and more, are found in the body product section. Kate’s Kombucha, also made locally, is on tap.

Whether you need a full on pantry restock, nibbles to fuel a road trip or a quick snacker, Be Free has got you covered.