Ware
Ware is a founder-owned zero-waste retail store and refill station in Asheville, NC, offering curated sustainable home, personal care, and bulk-refill products through a single storefront, e-commerce, mail-order bulk, subscriptions, and Faire wholesale distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersAsheville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ware does
Ware is a privately held, founder-owned zero-waste retail business headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, founded by Gillie Roberts circa 2013. The company operates a single brick-and-mortar storefront that doubles as a bulk refill station where customers fill reusable containers with home and personal care liquids (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, laundry detergent, cleaning solutions) and dry goods. Ware also runs an e-commerce website on Shopify, a mail-order bulk shipping service, a bike-powered local delivery operation, and a Subscribe & Save subscription program covering approximately 15 recurring-replenishment SKUs. The product portfolio spans roughly 216 in-stock SKUs across cleaning tools, food storage, personal care, and household items, with a curated subset of 18 Asheville-made goods.
The company generates revenue through four streams: one-time retail product sales (both physical and e-commerce), recurring subscriptions on consumables, transaction-based bulk and refill sales, and wholesale distribution via the Faire marketplace to other independent zero-waste retailers. Pricing is unit-based across most categories, ranging from $3 cleaning pods to $60 bulk laundry powder refills, with free shipping on orders over $150. GTM is hybrid: product-led growth anchored by the refill station experience, supported by educational blog content, an email newsletter, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok), and an affiliate program. Customer segments include environmentally conscious consumers, the Asheville local community, and a wholesale tail of independent zero-waste shops.
Operationally, Ware has differentiated through community-infrastructure partnerships with Terracycle, Green Zone, Asheville GreenWorks, City of Asheville, and Gillette, enabling multi-stream recycling of personal care packaging, razors, disposable masks, and textiles. The company is bootstrapped with no institutional funding or parent organization disclosed. Headcount is 1-10 employees, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. After weathering a documented COVID-era contraction ("small business getting smaller," April 2020), Ware has reinvested in subscription, wholesale, and mail-order bulk channels to diversify beyond the single Asheville storefront.
Ware firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ware
- Legal name
- Ware
- Website
- https://wareavl.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ware is a founder-owned zero-waste retail store and refill station in Asheville, NC, offering curated sustainable home, personal care, and bulk-refill products through a single storefront, e-commerce, mail-order bulk, subscriptions, and Faire wholesale distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ware industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Zero Waste Retail & Refill Store
- NAICS
- Health and Personal Care Retailers (456), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)
- SIC
- Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940), Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods (5190)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Eco-Friendly Household & Zero-Waste Refill Stores (CRAHAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Bulk Food & Refill Stores (Package-Free/Zero-Waste) (CRAHAMAA)
Keywords
Where Ware is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Asheville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ware business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales: Direct sales of zero waste and sustainable lifestyle products through physical retail storefront and e-commerce website. Products include personal care, home cleaning, food storage, accessories, and Asheville-made goods.
- Subscribe & Save Subscriptions: Subscription model for regularly-purchased products like toothpaste tablets, dental floss, dish brushes, and other consumables that need periodic replacement.
- Bulk and Refill Sales: Bulk product sales shipped in recyclable paper bags for dry goods. Refill station sales at physical location for liquids and household products.
- Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale program through Faire allowing independent zero-waste and refill shops to carry Ware's curated products. Targets small, independent retailers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk Laundry Powder - Rosemary |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cleaning Pods - All-Purpose/Lavender Rosemary/Glass Cleaner |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Personal Care Refill Products |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscribe & Save Products |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Reusable Products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ware product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ware sells a curated catalog of zero waste and sustainable lifestyle products—including personal care, home cleaning, food storage, and cleaning tools—through an Asheville, NC brick-and-mortar store and an online shop. Its signature offering is an in-store bulk refill station where customers fill reusable containers with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, dish soap, laundry detergent, and cleaning solutions. The store also runs a multi-stream recycling program, local bike-powered delivery, a Subscribe & Save subscription service, mail-order bulk dry goods, and a Faire-based wholesale channel for independent refill shops.
Product overview
Ware is a zero waste retail store and bulk refill station in Asheville, NC offering a curated selection of sustainable lifestyle products. The core offering centers on the in-store Bulk Refill Station where customers fill reusable containers with home and personal care products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, laundry detergent, cleaning solutions). The product portfolio spans cleaning tools (Swedish dish cloths, coconut coir brushes, loofah sponges, wool dish sponges, bamboo brushes), food storage (Beeswax Food Wraps, Food Huggers, Stasher silicone bags, Avocado Food Huggers), personal care (Bamboo Toothbrush, Huppy Toothpaste Tablets, vegan dental floss, safety razors), and household items (cotton produce bags, rag bundles, Active Tumbler water bottles). Ware also offers local bike-powered delivery and pickup, mail-order bulk dry products, a Subscribe & Save subscription service, recycling collection programs, and a wholesale program for other zero-waste retailers. The business model emphasizes eliminating single-use packaging through refills, reusable alternatives, and responsible end-of-life solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bulk Refill Station In-store bulk refill station where customers fill reusable containers with shampoo, conditioner, hand and body wash, body lotion, dish soap, laundry detergent, and cleaning solutions, eliminating single-use packaging.
- Multi-Stream Recycling Program In-store recycling collection accepting personal care containers, razors and blades, disposable masks, textiles, clothing, shoes, belts, and tote bag exchange, partnered with Terracycle and Green Zone.
- Subscribe & Save Subscription Subscription program covering regularly replenished sustainable goods such as toothpaste tablets, vegan dental floss, toothbrushes, dish brushes, and cleaning tools, delivered on a recurring schedule.
- Local Bike-Powered Refill Delivery Free local delivery in the Asheville area, exclusively powered by bicycle, fulfilling refill and retail orders with sustainable last-mile logistics.
- Mail-Order Bulk Dry Goods Shippable bulk dry goods sold online and mailed in recyclable paper bags for customers outside the Asheville local delivery area.
- Wholesale Program via Faire B2B wholesale program allowing independent zero-waste and refill shops to source Ware's curated assortment of sustainable products for resale, distributed through the Faire marketplace.
- Refillable Personal Care Liquids Liquid personal care products sold by weight at the refill station and online, including shampoo, conditioner, hand and body wash, unscented body lotion, underarm deodorant balm, eucalyptus shower steams, and lavender spray hand sanitizer.
- Sustainable Home Cleaning Products Concentrated and refillable home cleaning assortment including rosemary laundry powder, all-purpose, bathroom, and glass cleaner pods, Clean Dream ready-to-use spray, and Clean Plate Club liquid dish soap.
- Reusable Food Storage Plastic-free food storage products including beeswax food wraps, Food Huggers silicone savers, avocado huggers, and Stasher reusable silicone bags in sandwich, snack, stand-up, pocket, and mega sizes.
- Sustainable Kitchen Cleaning Tools Biodegradable and compostable kitchen cleaning tools including Swedish dish cloths, wool dish sponges, loofah eco-sponges, coconut coir bottle brushes, beechwood veggie brushes, curved dish brushes, and cotton rag bundles.
- Plastic-Free Oral Care Compostable and refillable oral care products such as bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo electric toothbrush heads, Huppy toothpaste tablets, and vegan dental floss with refillable glass jars.
- Reusable On-the-Go Drinkware Reusable drinkware including the 27 oz Active Tumbler stainless steel vacuum-insulated water bottle, along with organic cotton mesh and muslin produce bags and refillable glass jars in various sizes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free shipping on orders over $150
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ware
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ware technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ware partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- TerracyclecorePartnership with Terracycle to facilitate recycling of personal care containers (cosmetic, hair care, skin care packaging), razors and blades, and disposable masks (KN95, N95, surgical). Terracycle provides the recycling infrastructure for these hard-to-recycle materials.
- Green ZonecorePartnership with Green Zone for textile recycling, accepting clothing, purses, belts, shoes, and household textiles at the Asheville store location.
- City of AshevillemajorCollaboration with City of Asheville and GreenWorks to create the Recycling Wizard database, helping residents find local disposal options for various materials including items not accepted curbside.
- Asheville GreenWorksmajorPartnership with Asheville GreenWorks who facilitates Hard 2 Recycle events and processes materials like styrofoam, computer monitors, cables, and bicycles that cannot be recycled curbside.
- GilletteminorGillette sponsors the razor and blade recycling program, with recycling facilitated by Terracycle. This is a corporate sponsorship relationship for recycling initiatives.
- Leaves and FlowersminorCollaboration on Resilience Formula Tincture, a product developed through conversation between friends with shared knowledge and trust in plants.
- FairecoreWholesale distribution partnership through Faire marketplace, enabling independent zero-waste shops to purchase Ware products for resale.
- French Broad Food Co-opminorReferenced as another location where customers can use their refill jars and participate in bulk shopping, similar to Ware's refill program.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ware competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Terracycle: Terracycle is a recycling infrastructure partner that operates hard-to-recycle collection programs. Ware partners with Terracycle on its razor, mask, and personal care recycling drop-off, making it both a supplier and ecosystem peer in the zero-waste circular economy.
- Faire: Faire is a wholesale marketplace connecting independent retailers with curated brands. Ware uses Faire to distribute its wholesale assortment, making it both a critical channel partner and a comparable ecosystem participant in the indie retail space.
Direct peers
- EarthHero: EarthHero is a B Corp online marketplace curating sustainable home, personal care, and lifestyle goods with rigorous vetting standards. It mirrors Ware's curation-driven, sustainability-credentialed assortment and competes for the same eco-conscious consumer.
- Public Goods: Public Goods is a membership-based D2C retailer of sustainable household essentials (cleaning, personal care, pantry). After acquiring Package Free, it competes directly in the same curated, sustainable everyday-goods category Ware serves, with much greater scale.
- Package Free: Package Free (founded by Lauren Singer) pioneered the zero-waste lifestyle retail concept with both online and physical refill shopping experiences, selling home, personal care, and pantry essentials package-free. It is the most direct comparable to Ware's Asheville refill store model and curated assortment.
- Zero Market: Zero Market is a chain of zero-waste refill stores offering bulk foods and household essentials in a package-free format. Comparable as a multi-location refill retail peer with similar product mix and customer base.
- Made Trade: Made Trade is an online sustainable marketplace curating ethically made home, clothing, and lifestyle goods with a focus on fair-trade and locally made items. Comparable to Ware's curation philosophy and emphasis on Asheville-made and representation-focused brands.
- The Refill Shoppe: The Refill Shoppe is a California-based zero-waste refill store offering bulk household and personal care products. It is one of the most direct operational analogues to Ware's Asheville brick-and-mortar refill station model.
- By The Way Bulk: By The Way Bulk operates small-format zero-waste grocery and refill stores focused on package-free staples. It is comparable in size, mission, and product mix to Ware's bulk-focused offerings.
Emerging players
- Plaine Products: Plaine Products sells refillable, non-toxic personal care (shampoo, conditioner, body wash) on a subscription/refill model. It overlaps with Ware's bulk personal care refill category but is brand-owned rather than a multi-brand retailer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ware social profiles
Digital presenceWare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ware leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ware funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ware M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ware
What does Ware do?
Ware sells a curated catalog of zero waste and sustainable lifestyle products—including personal care, home cleaning, food storage, and cleaning tools—through an Asheville, NC brick-and-mortar store and an online shop. Its signature offering is an in-store bulk refill station where customers fill reusable containers with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, dish soap, laundry detergent, and cleaning solutions. The store also runs a multi-stream recycling program, local bike-powered delivery, a Subscribe & Save subscription service, mail-order bulk dry goods, and a Faire-based wholesale channel for independent refill shops.
Is Ware a public or private company?
Ware is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ware founded?
Ware was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ware based?
Ware is headquartered in Asheville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ware make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscribe & Save Subscriptions, bulk and Refill Sales and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Ware's main competitors?
Others on record are Terracycle and Faire. Direct peers are EarthHero, Public Goods, Package Free, Zero Market, Made Trade, The Refill Shoppe and By The Way Bulk. Plaine Products is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ware have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ware.
What industry is Ware in?
Ware's product category is Zero Waste Retail & Refill Store. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAEAG, Eco-Friendly Household & Zero-Waste Refill Stores, with a secondary code of CRAHAMAA, Bulk Food & Refill Stores (Package-Free/Zero-Waste). Its NAICS code is 456 and its SIC code is 5399.