It is my honor to name Katie Fletcher‚ founder and owner of Local Scoop‚ as my July Champion of the Month in the 38th Senate District. In celebration of “Plastic Free July‚” I am pleased to recognize Katie for her commitment to increasing bulk refill grocery stores in California that reduce the use of plastic and packaging by offering shoppers sustainable alternatives.

Katie‚ a Solana Beach native‚ was inspired by zero-waste stores when she studied abroad. She admired their goals of eliminating single-use packaging through selling in bulk and providing nutritious products made from whole food and environmentally friendly ingredients.

When Katie returned to California‚ she was disheartened when she struggled to find stores that allowed her to refill her containers‚ especially with non-toxic home and body products. This led her to start her own bulk refill grocery store‚ Local Scoop‚ in the city of Encinitas.

Commitment to increasing bulk refill grocery stores in California that reduce the use of plastic and packaging...

Customers bring their own containers and refill them with a wide range of locally sourced‚ environmentally friendly‚ products that include bath‚ body‚ and hair care products‚ essential oils‚ cleaning products‚ candy and chocolate‚ cereal‚ coffee and tea‚ dehydrated dried fruit‚ flours and baking ingredients‚ grains and legumes‚ herbs and spices‚ nuts and seeds‚ oils‚ vinegars and honey‚ pasta‚ pet food‚ produce‚ snacks and superfoods.

It is inspiring to see a visionary business owner in our community who is providing a model for aspiring‚ environmentally conscious entrepreneurs. We wish Katie well as she leads the way to a more sustainable future in our community and beyond.