The Source Bulk Foods offers organic bulk food options, that are focused on packaging and delivering products using zero waste. 

The Source Bulk Foods also has locations around the world. But, they originate from Byron Bay, Australia, where founders Paul and Emma Medeiros came up with the idea for a bulk grocery store that would operate as zero waste. 

At The Source Bulk Foods, they're constantly reusing every item and container they can to ensure they're contributing to waste reduction, while packaging their product. 

Charles Peronnin, is the owner of both stores in Toronto. He's passionate about being educated on where you food originates from and how it gets transported to you. 

Peronnin, who's from Paris, France originally, says when he was a child in geography class, he learned about the regions of France and where the best meats and produce were grown according to their region and landscapes. 

Peronnin carried this knowledge with him until his adult life, and although he ended up as an architect, when he learned about The Source Bulk Foods, he knew it was a brand he wanted to be a part of. 

Back in 2019, he flew to Australia to meet with the founders, as they were looking to open up stores in Canada, from there he bought the rights to the brand in Eastern Canada. 

Peronnin says it took him over a year to find the right space for the Leslieville location of The Source Bulk Foods. He knew the store would thrive on a strip with other businesses, like Rowe Farms and Nutbar, who share the same values for organic, sustainable foods. 

The only paper used at the store is compostable bags which customers can use to fill up on bulk food items. 

And in terms of plastic, once each container is empty, it gets sent back to the supplier where the product originates from, cleaned, then refilled with that same product again. 

The Source Bulk Foods also encourages customers to bring their own containers, anything from glass bottles to mason jars can be used to fill up on product, which furthers their mission for zero waste. 

You'll find a series of Ontario-sourced bulk food items at the store, just look for the blue sticker on each container that signifies where each product is made.

The Source Bulk Foods in Leslieville carries three different granola that are produced in Toronto, along with a variation of pecans that come from a supplier in Lindsay, Ont. 

One of the most unique products in-store is an organic Almond Mylk concentrate. Almond milk in regular grocery stores uses paper and fossil fuels to be mass transported, to save on all that,  you're welcome to fill up on the concentrate using your own container. 

The concentrate has a six month shelf life and just needs to be shaken with water, for fresh almond milk to be created. A 100 gram container starts at $10.40, and goes up to one kilogram for $104.50. 

A sustainable option for filling up on spreads is the nut butter machine located in the front area of the store. Each day differs on which type of nut butter can be made, such as cashew, almond or regular peanuts.

You can fill up the machine with your favourite nut, then choose the type of consistency from smooth to crunchy, and it will produce your spread right into a jar. Prices start at $1.08 per 100 grams of product. 

In addition to food, The Source Bulk Foods also sells chemical-free cleaning products and hygiene care items, like shampoo and body cream, which are also open for fill ups by customers coming in. 

The exterior of the Source Bulk Foods has a sign that lists some of the main product they have in-store, they're located right near the intersection of Queen Street East and Logan Avenue.