Coop Karlstad minimizes waste and gets fresher crops with GrowOff cabinets

It's Friday afternoon at Coop Tullholmen in Karlstad and product manager Isabell Johansson is laying out her own herbs. She takes a step back to admire the small farm nestled in the store, a new part of her daily routine since she set up the GrowOff cabinet from Grönska last fall.

Isabell Johansson, Head of Product COOP Tullholmen, Karlstad

For Isabell, it's something of a ritual to make the store feel extra welcoming at the end of a busy week. A refreshed fruit and vegetable section, an arrangement of the finest vegetables or a little extra colour is often all it takes. But now, on Fridays, she has something even more personal to offer: fresh, home-grown herbs and salad.

“It’s not difficult!” she laughs, remembering how quickly she learned to grow in the cupboard.

"You just follow the app's instructions, and it takes care of the rest - water, nutrients, light. It's really easy, and it's fun! There's something special about being able to say I grew them myself."

GrowOff Cabinets COOP Stuvsta, Stockholm

The GrowOff cabinet, discreetly placed in the store, produces up to 300 plants each month and takes up less than 1 square meter of floor space. For Isabell, her main role is to start new seed cassettes and refill the nutrient container when the app tells her to. In return, she gets a continuous harvest of fresh, pesticide-free herbs that only need to walk a few steps to reach the shelves.

"With the GrowOff cabinet, we get zero waste, which is perfect for plants that have a longer shelf life."

And it turns out that customers have noticed the difference too. The store-grown herbs are selling out quickly and Isabell has seen a real shift in preferences.

"Customers seem to prefer these herbs to the ones we bring in. The packaging also makes them look really special," she says.

In addition to the immediate allure of fresh herbs, the cabinet has sparked something unexpected: conversation - more and more people are asking her about the growing options in the store. They are curious about how it works and some are even starting to talk about growing at home.

"People are so interested in growing, it's become a bit of a talking point here," says Isabell. Isabell says, reflecting on the community the cabinet has created. "We're always talking about what we're going to grow next, both here and at home."

Coop Tullholmen has a reputation for going the extra mile to create a welcoming and unique experience for its customers. And now, with the small courtyard in the store bringing life and conversation to the aisles, it feels like the store has become more than just a place to shop - it has become a little green hub in the heart of Karlstad.