Source True Activist
By Amanda Froelich
Veganz, the world’s first all-vegan supermarket chain, will be opening in Portland, Oregon in 2016.
You’ve heard a plant-based diet is optimal for health and the environment, but do you ever get dismayed when perusing your local grocery store because you a) either don’t know what to buy or b) feel too tempted by conventional products to make healthy choices?
Perhaps your solution is right around the corner… As The Local reports, the world’s first vegan supermarket chain, “Veganz,” which was founded in Berlin, Germany, aims to go international and is set on opening a new location in the United States in 2016.
You can probably relate to the founder of the supermarket, Jan Bredack, who once considered himself a meat lover. He, too, enjoyed Standard European (and American) fare, but eventually got tired of the burn-out from an imbalanced life. After changing his lifestyle and ethical code in 2009, he became inspired to write the book “Vegan für alle: Warum wir richtig leben sollten” (Veganism for everyone: Why we should live right) and create a store plant-based foodies could feel comfortable in.
In 2011, the inspired foodie started the world’s first vegan supermarket and hasn’t looked back.
“The decision to open a vegan supermarket came from a potpourri of ideas after coming across various vegan products in the US and Russia,” he says.
He noted that it was difficult to “shop normally” when one adopts a vegan lifestyle, and he wanted to make the switch to veganism more accessible to everyone.
There are presently two Veganz supermarkets in Berlin, with a third intended to open this year. Stores are also located in Hamburg, Munic, and Frankfurt. On May 13th, Veganz will open its first store outside Germany in Vienna, with further planned for London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Barcelona, Milan, and Copenhagen next year. That’s not all… In 2016, Veganz will open a vegan shopping center in Portland, Oregon, including a shoe and clothing store and restaurant.
The wonderful thing about Bredack and his message is that he doesn’t preach an all-or-nothing approach – or a lifestyle of deprivation. Indeed, Jan is inspired to show the world that plant-based food can be healthy, affordable, and – most importantly, delicious. According to Bredack, 80% of customers are neither vegan nor vegetarian, and the majority seem well-educated.