A mother of two was so moved by plastic pollution highlighted in the Blue Planet TV series that she decided to launch her own eco-friendly business.
Louise Bohana, who lives in Saltash, said:
“I watched the Blue Planet programmes and it really made me very emotional about all the plastic in the ocean. I thought there must be a better way to sell products without using plastic.”
Her plan to do something positive had to go on hold for a couple of years while she researched the market and also looked into business start-up finance and searched for suitable premises.
She decided to take the plunge at the start of last year and launched Green Shoots Eco in April 2021.
“We have all had such a terrible time through the pandemic and in January last year I felt if I don’t start the business now I never will. I felt it was time to do something positive for the community.”
She managed to secure a business start-up loan and also found suitable retail premises in Phelps Road, Devonport – opposite the church and library.
Louise, who is 46 and has two daughters, said:
“It started small, but we now have a vast range of products, totalling more than 350 in all. It’s a one-stop shop for refilling all those plastic bottles which people have in their kitchens and bathrooms.
“There’s something for everyone from toilet cleaner to dishwasher rinse aid, bicarbonate of soda and hair and body care. We stock biodegradable and compostable kitchen cloths, sponges, reusable bottles, drinking bottles, cups and lunch boxes made from rice husks.
“The cups and lunch boxes are really special. They are made from natural waste and look lovely. Rice is harvested in huge quantities around the world and when processed, the sheer volume of husks causes issues.
“If the rice husks are not disposed of in an ethical way it can be a biohazard. This is where the manufacturing of the lunch boxes comes in and produces a reusable product,” added Louise.
“There is a lot of work and research that goes into running a shop like mine and we aim to purchase products as sustainably as possible. I’m pleased to say that we source 99 per cent of the stock from UK suppliers. As well as eco friendly vegan refills she stocks a range of vegan cheese and chocolate, as well as gluten free products including pasta and flour.
“We also have an old fashioned sweet shop and stock loose tea and locally roasted coffee beans which can be bought as they are or we can ground to the customer’s specification.
“Of course, the largest range we have of course is the loose dried food bought by weight using customer’s own containers to refill. If the customer forgets their container we have it covered by supplying brown paper bags. We have all the kitchen cupboard staples including a variety of grains, legumes, lentils, cereal, nuts, even popcorn kernels.
“We also have an amazing peanut butter making machine which makes fresh peanut butter in three different textures, smooth, medium and crunchy in a matter of seconds using only dry baked peanuts with no additives or oils just peanuts.
“We pride ourselves in using local suppliers wherever possible and our biggest seller is the local refill milk from Roddas. We’ve sold over 1000 litres – now just think of all those plastic bottles that haven’t been bought and thrown out or recycled!
“We also sell very popular freshly made sourdough bread baked by our on the doorstep bakers, a variety of free range eggs from Cornwall, fruit and veg boxes from a local Plymouth company and we also display art for sale by local artists.”
She said that for customers who can’t physically visit the shop they are happy to deliver to homes in the PL1 and PL2 post codes using a local carbon free e-bike delivery company.
Green Shoots Eco 4 Phelps Road, Devonport PL1 4FY. Open Tuesday to Saturday Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GreenShootsEcoShop/
