Welcome to Forward…
Forward is Whangārei's first completely plastic-free wholefoods store opening this winter.
We believe it’s time to move forward. Away from the plastic era that has done so much damage to our earth.
We need to act and we need to change; but in today’s world when we are so busy and almost everything has a plastic layer we understand how hard and overwhelming it can be.
So here at Forward we want to make it easier. Our aim is to provide an alternative shopping experience that doesn’t harm our environment. We don’t believe that we need to use materials designed to last forever, for products designed to last minutes.
At Forward, planet and purpose will always come before profit. We will support local where possible and put our profits back into caring for our whenua.
We look forward to welcoming you instore soon.
The shop…
How will it work?
At Forward we want to make waste-free shopping as easy and efficient as possible.
Most items will be pre-weighed and pre-packed into reusable jars so you know exactly what it will cost before you get to the till and don’t need to spend time filling up yourself.
We follow a circular economy model so we hope you will bring your glass jars back for us to reuse and we will refund the jar cost.
If you want to bring your own produce bags/containers that’s fine too. Just grab a jar from the shelf and we will decanter it for you,
What will we stock?
We will try to cover a wide range of pantry staples such as pasta, rice, seeds, grains, nuts, pulses, flours, superfood powders, oils, vinegars, coffee, tea and kombucha. We will use local suppliers wherever possible.
We will also have bulk cleaning products, shampoo, conditioner and laundry detergents, plus an assortment of household and personal care alternatives available.
Hopefully we will also have some fresh groceries and ready made vegan kai available.
Is there something specific you would like us to stock? Get in touch!
About Forward
Kia ora koutou,
My name is Laura and I am the face behind Forward. Originally from England, I have lived in Whangarei for the last four years working for a local charity.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Before this, I spent four years travelling the world. It was during this time that I saw first-hand the damage plastic waste was doing to our earth. Sick of filling up my bin everytime I filled up my cupboards, I knew something needed to change. In order to find a way forward, I looked back at the past - where eating real food with minimal packaging was normal practice - and realised that if we did it then, we can do it now.
I soon realised that avoiding plastic was not going to be easy; I began to wonder why the extra work and cost involved in making a more environmentally friendly decision currently falls on the consumer while the suppliers and retailers take very little responsibility for their contribution to this waste. If I was finding it hard, so are others and yet we all know that we have to change our ways and fast!
So I set about to start Forward, a shop where planet and purpose will always come before profit. A way to make plastic free living easier and more accessible for our community, so that we can shop without damaging our Earth. My aim is to create a business with heart, that treads gently on our whenua and supports our community.
I really hope that you will move Forward with me.
Nga mihi,
Laura
Tree Team
Forward Whangarei have partnered with Te Uru Rākau to plant 50,000 native trees across Northland, over the next two years, through their Matariki Tu Rākau programme.
Forward’s kaupapa is to help enable and empower our community to create a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable Earth - and so we think planting trees is a great way to start doing this.
We have therefore created the ‘Tree Team’ project to bring our communities together to help achieve this goal. Forward have collaborated with a range of organisations and planting groups to create a jam-packed calendar of planting events this season.
We are hoping the community will join our ‘Tree Team’ to work alongside us; restoring our whenua, and creating peaceful areas where we can reflect on the past, whilst the future grows around us.
Take a look at our Tree Team website to find out more…
