Wales just got its first vegan supermarket. The grocery store, which is called Kind Earth, opened in Llanelli after receiving a grant from Carmarthenshire County Council.
Kind Earth sells organic and locally sourced vegan food in Maes Y Coed. The supermarket offers vegan dog treats, fizzy water kefir, vegan cupcakes, and fresh vegan pies, pasties, sausage rolls, and Welsh cakes.
It also offers “beebombs,” a mix of 18 British wildflower seeds with fine, sifted soil and locally sourced clay. The beebombs can be scattered onto the ground to create a patch of wildflowers which attracts and sustains bees. “Kind Earth love bees. Like really love bees. So we can’t wait to start selling beebombs in our shop and doing our bit to help with the biodiversity of our area,” Kind Earth wrote on its Instagram. “In fact we love beebombs so much we are going to give customers free beebombs to scatter to their hearts content depending on spend.”
The supermarket strives to be plastic-free, only offering paper bags to shoppers. It also runs a recycling scheme and hosts sustainability-focused events and workshops, ITV News reported.
Building a Healthier Community
Kind Earth owner Matt Rogerson spoke to ITV News about the new business. “I’ve been so excited to open Kind Earth, and grateful to the council for the start-up grant and belief which helped pursue my dream,” he said to the publication. “The shop is not only a vegan supermarket where people can buy fresh good quality locally sourced grocery items but offers customers to get involved in initiatives and workshops to make us a healthier and more sustainable community.”
Carmarthenshire County Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole commented, “I am happy that we were able to provide funding to support Kind Earth to develop a new business that will benefit the community and offer people a wider choice of food.”
She added, “As a council we remain committed to strengthening our local economy and giving the people of Carmarthenshire as much choice as possible.”
Earlier this year, a vegan eatery called Phoenix Bistro opened in Llangollen, North Wales, because it’s “what people wanted.” The owner of the bistro previously operated venues that served meat but found that more people were requesting plant-based options.
