THE FIRST vegan supermarket has opened its doors in Llanelli thanks to the support of a grant from Carmarthenshire County Council.
Kind Earth served its first customers with organic and locally sourced produce from its Stradey District Centre store in Maes Y Coed on Friday.
The business, owned by local resident Matt Rogerson, was supported with a grant of £4,435 through the council’s business start-up fund which is linked to job creation.
The money was used to purchase equipment including an EPOS system, fridges and freezers, shelving, trollies, baskets and light fittings.
The business is a plastic free zone offering paper bags and paper carriers to customers as packaging.
In addition to selling groceries, the store will run a terracycle scheme and host to a number of events including litter picking days and workshops on a wide range of topics to improve lifestyles.
Kind Earth’s Matt Rogerson said opening the store was a dream come true for him.
He said: “I’ve been so excited to open Kind Earth, and grateful to the council for the start-up grant and belief which helped pursue my dream. I hope that between myself and my stakeholders we can make our local and global community a better place. The shop is not only a vegan supermarket where people can buy fresh good quality locally sourced grocery items but offers customers to get involved in initiatives and workshops to make us a healthier and more sustainable community.”
Mr Rogerson said he hopes to employ in the future.
Carmarthenshire County Council Leader, Cllr Emlyn Dole said: “I am happy that we were able to provide funding to support Kind Earth to develop a new business that will benefit the community and offer people a wider choice of food.
As a council we remain committed to strengthening our local economy and giving the people of Carmarthenshire as much choice as possible.”
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