Discover Aki, the zero-waste grocery store

Aki was born from the hard work and drive of three women from Val-d’Or whose values align with the zero-waste movement. We met with them (next to a tub of honey and a vat of rice) to discover the origins of this unique grocery store. Jennifer, Jolianne and Myriame were happy to share their story with us.

Jennifer and Jolianne lived in Montréal for some time, where they really got in touch with their environmental values. Above all, they opened the grocery store to meet a personal need.

Jolianne

When we lived in Montréal, we frequented all the bulk shops, composted, and always had a DIY project on the go. When we returned here, we missed that lifestyle–there was no such store in the region. So we thought: “Why don’t we open one?” The movement has really taken off and is thriving everywhere, so we knew this type of store would open eventually, but we decided to take the leap and do it ourselves!

“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a ton of projects on the go. That’s what’s great about Abitibi: it’s the ideal environment for starting up all kinds of projects. For two women still working in a hospital setting–one as a respiratory therapist, and the other as a nurse–the idea of starting a business was quite the challenge!”
Jennifer

Jolianne

At first, we had to defend our position by saying, “We know it will work, we want to try it so that we don’t have regrets down the road about not doing it.” And it has been a great success. None of us had backgrounds in business, so we were starting from scratch. We had so much mentoring from our entourage, our families, and people from around the region. People here are so open and supportive.

Jennifer

It takes a great deal of courage, perseverance and hard work, but in my opinion, it’s easier in rural areas. I haven’t owned a business in Montréal, so I can’t really compare the two, but we had faith that it would thrive in Val-d’Or. We’ve been open for two years now and have created a wonderful community with our clients. They write to us and even give us cookies at Christmas. This proximity can be felt across all settings. Whether you work at the hospital or anywhere else, it’s something you find in rural regions that doesn’t exist in big cities.

For Myriame, the third associate, fate is what drew her to the store.

It’s as though everything fell into place for us to open the store. At the time, I was unemployed. Jolianne and Jennifer had done a survey in March to poll the interest of the community. In September, I wrote to Jennifer (I didn’t know either of them yet) asking, “How is this project coming along?” The idea had really piqued my interest. We met, we talked, we clicked, and we kicked off the project. It was as simple as that!

talked, we clicked, and we kicked off the project. It was as simple as that!

Myriame is the only one of the three who isn’t from Val-d’Or originally. She first came to the region to pursue a career in journalism, but feels right at home and has no plans of leaving.

Myriame

“I fell in love with Abitibi-Témiscamingue because it has so much to offer. You can go to all the shows, and it has an incredibly rich cultural offering.

There are so many jobs and opportunities here. Honestly, what stands out to me in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and La Vallée-de-l’Or is that so many people under thirty are presidents of their own businesses or directors…

We rarely see that in large urban centres.”