Shop for “rescued” goods: Second chance for groceries

A lot of food is thrown away even though it is actually still edible – too much, thinks a young entrepreneur from Saarbrücken. She opened a store selling “rescued” groceries.

Your mission: save food from the trash can. The “Rettich” shop in Saarbrücken is your operations center. There owner Fabienne Ebertz sells rescued groceries at discounted prices. The “Rettometer” behind the cash register reads 86,577. Ebertz has saved so many products in her shop so far. Otherwise they would have ended up in the trash because the best-before date was either exceeded or almost reached. The owner of the “Rettich” shop did not choose this title, but she likes to wear it: Saarbrücken’s food savior.

Nationwide trend

Germans throw away 18 tons of food every year. Abundant here, luxury elsewhere. Ebertz no longer wanted to accept this carelessness. She studied packaging technology and wanted to start a shop that did good. She has had it for a year now. “Corona has definitely increased sensitivity for the topic. How do I deal with my resources? More and more people are asking,” says the 26-year-old.

She has also recognized a nationwide trend: In almost every city there are such food rescue shops or other projects that campaign against food waste. The help has also turned into a profitable business – with a residual risk: the seller is liable for food that has already expired. So far, however, no one has complained to her, says Ebertz. In addition to many young customers who want to do something about food waste, there are also many seniors who are short of money.

Family shopping experience

“With one customer, the pension goes almost entirely for the rent. She is happy to be able to buy her things for cheap here,” says Ebertz. In some cases, the prices are around 50 percent lower than those of conventional supermarket chains. However, the impression quickly arises that not only money and ideals are important, but also social issues. The owner knows every customer and the stories behind the people.

“Don’t you have Nala with you today?” Asks psychology student Sophia Jansen, referring to Ebertz’s dog. “Nah, she’s at home. Sometimes I have the feeling that everyone is just coming because of my dog,” replies the young entrepreneur and laughs. The trainee Antonia Netter has been coming to “Rettich” for over a year. Above all, she loves the atmosphere here – and that she keeps discovering new products for herself. “The last time it was the cappelletti with pumpkin filling,” she says. “I would never have bought it in the supermarket.”

Cooperation with the table

In the meantime, word of the model has got around. “Companies call me after events and ask if we would like the leftover drinks. That’s cool.” Farmers, wholesalers and bakeries support them regularly. Food that needs to be stored cold comes in a refrigerator truck, while she and her team collect other products themselves. Three student trainees work for Ebertz, who can now make a living from her shop. One thing is important to her: The 26-year-old makes sure to only work with customers who do not cooperate with the Saarbrücken food bank.

She does not see the “Radich” store as competition. A spokeswoman for the Tafel would like to see many more such shops. Originally, the idea of ​​the Tafel was also to save food from the rubbish bin. Doing the whole thing under the aspect of neediness was added later. When the table is closed, Ebertz also accepts goods and stores them. What is left in the “radish” goes, for example, to food-sharing initiatives that sell food to private households. “We’re not throwing anything away here,” she promises.

To the right of the entrance are wooden chairs and tables, the coffee corner. If you want, you can buy hot drinks for others here – pay for it, but not drink it yourself. The drink is written down and another customer can then drink it free of charge. Fabienne Ebertz now wants to carry her mission beyond the city limits of Saarbrücken. A second store in Saarland is planned.