What Unverpackt does

unverpackt – lose, nachhaltig, gut was a sole proprietorship founded by Marie Delaperrière in Kiel, Germany in 2014, operating Germany's first package-free grocery store. The retail concept required customers to bring their own containers, which were tare-weighed, filled with bulk goods from dispensers, and paid for by weight. The assortment expanded from 250 products at the original 60 m² Waitzstraße location to over 800 products across three successive Kiel locations, covering grains, pasta, legumes, oils, spices, tea, coffee, dairy, produce, beverages, candy, cleaning products, and body care items, alongside an on-site bistro serving coffee and light refreshments in reusable RECUP deposit cups. The store held organic certification (DE-ÖKO-009) and was supplied by regional and organic producers.

The business operated a dual model. The consumer layer was weight-based retail transaction pricing (tare pricing) at a single physical location in Kiel — there was no e-commerce, no delivery, and no proprietary technology platform beyond standard bulk dispensers, scales, and a basic storage management system. The B2B layer was the Unverpackt Akademie, launched in March 2015, which offered two-day in-person workshops (€279/participant), online seminars (€250/person), individual consulting, and external corporate training (BinaKo from 2021, Grell Naturkost), training over 350 aspiring store founders and seeding 100+ Unverpackt-format stores across German-speaking countries. Distribution was entirely local to Kiel, and the go-to-market was community-led via the zero-waste movement, public lectures, earned media (Spiegel Online, Stern TV, National Geographic, ZDF, NDR), and partnerships with Zero Waste Kiel e.V. (co-founded by the founder), Zero Waste Europe, Zero Waste Germany e.V., and Break Free from Plastic.

Revenue was never publicly disclosed. The company was bootstrapped and remained independent, winning multiple awards including the 2016 Next Economy Award nomination, the City of Kiel's first environmental award, and the 2018 Aurubis Sonderpreis of the ZEIT WISSEN-Preis 'Mut zur Nachhaltigkeit'. After a two-thirds decline in customer numbers between 2019 and 2022 driven by five COVID-19 waves, the Russia-Ukraine war, and a return of consumers to conventional supermarkets and discounters, the founder announced the closure of the Kiel retail store on December 31, 2022, with the Akademie and consulting activities continuing in residual form.

Name

Unverpackt

Legal name

unverpackt – lose, nachhaltig, gut

Website

https://unverpackt-kiel.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pioneer zero-waste retail store founded in Kiel, Germany in 2014, selling unpackaged bulk groceries by weight to environmentally conscious consumers. The company also trained 350+ aspiring store founders through the Unverpackt Akademie before closing its retail operations on December 31, 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Zero-Waste Grocery Retail

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Food & Refill Stores (Package-Free/Zero-Waste) (CRAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural/Organic Bulk & Supplement Grocers (CRAHAMAF), Bulk Food Buying Clubs & Cooperative Bulk Programs (CRAHAMAM)

Keywords

• Zero waste retail
• Bulk food sales
• Packaging-free grocery
• Sustainable consumption
• Retail consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Sale of unpackaged bulk goods including cereals, spices, oils, vinegars, legumes, nuts, dried fruits, beverages, cleaning products, and personal care items. Products were sold by weight using tare pricing. The store also offered a bistro with coffee, tea, and light food.
2. Seminars and Consulting: In-person workshops (2-day format) and online seminars for aspiring unpackaged store founders. Also offered individual consulting services and store internships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Unverpackt – lose, nachhaltig, gut (loose, sustainable, good) operated Germany's first packaging-free (unpackaged) grocery store in Kiel, where customers brought their own containers to fill with bulk goods including cereals, spices, oils, legumes, nuts, dried fruits, beverages, cleaning products, and personal care items sold by weight. The business also operated the Unverpackt Akademie, offering in-person seminars, online seminars, consulting, and external training for aspiring unpackaged store founders.

Product overview

Unverpackt operates as a zero-waste grocery store concept (Unverpackt – lose, nachhaltig, gut) founded in 2014, offering a unified retail experience where customers bring their own containers to purchase goods sold in bulk dispensers. The core product is the physical unpackaged grocery store (Lebensmittelgeschäft) offering over 1000 products across categories including grains, pasta, legumes, oils, spices, tea, coffee, dairy, produce, beverages, candy, and body care items. Adjacent services include the on-site Bistro (café with hot/cold beverages), gift vouchers, and gift baskets. The company extends its impact through the Unverpackt Akademie (add-on module), which offers in-person seminars (Präsenz-Seminare), online seminars (Online-Seminare), consulting (Beratung), and external training (Externe Schulungen) for aspiring store founders. Additional educational offerings include Zero Waste presentations (Vorträge) and Zero Waste seminars for various audiences. The Unverpackt Bistro provides café offerings including coffee drinks and tea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unverpackt Store (Lebensmittelgeschäft) A zero-waste grocery store where customers bring their own containers and fill them with products sold in bulk dispensers, eliminating single-use packaging. Offers over 1000 products including grains, pasta, baking ingredients, legumes, oils, seeds, nuts, spices, antipasti, tea, coffee, eggs, dairy, sausage, produce, dried fruits, beverages, candy, chocolate, cleaning products, and body care items.
• Unverpackt Akademie - Präsenz-Seminar Two-day in-person workshop covering business concept, planning, implementation, store opening, and operations for aspiring unpackaged store founders. Priced at 279€ per participant plus VAT (valid until 30.06.2022).
• Unverpackt Akademie - Online-Seminar Online seminar over 2 weeks with 4 online sessions and self-study, including downloadable materials, templates, and 45 minutes of individual consultation for aspiring unpackaged store founders. Priced at 250€ per person plus VAT (valid until 30.06.2022).
• Unverpackt Beratung (Consulting) Advisory services for store founders and existing stores transitioning to unpackaged goods, including individual consultation, project accompaniment, store internships, and retail alternatives guidance.
• Externe Schulungen (External Training) External training sessions conducted at partner facilities, with collaborations including Grell Naturkost and BinaKo (since 2021).
• Zero Waste Vorträge (Presentations) Presentations on the unpackaged store model and zero waste lifestyle for various audiences including schools, companies, universities, and environmental organizations, available in German, English, or French.
• Zero Waste Seminar Multi-module seminar teaching how to live a zero-waste lifestyle, covering daily life, living with children, and zero waste at work and travel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 Unverpackt stores established in German-speaking countries following the Kiel pioneer
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BinaKominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Since 2021, Unverpackt Akademie has been lecturing/conducting training programs for BinaKo, expanding educational offerings to corporate clients.
• Zero Waste Kiel e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarie Delaperrière is co-founder and first chair of Zero Waste Kiel e.V. The association supports waste reduction initiatives in Kiel and beyond, organizing regular meetups, waste collection events, and zero waste community activities. The store served as a hub for the association's activities.
• Zero Waste Germany e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational zero waste organization Marie continues to support after store closure. Part of broader zero waste movement advocacy at national level.
• Break Free from PlasticminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational movement advocating against plastic pollution. Marie Delaperrière participates in campaigns and advocacy work through this organization.
• Exit PlastikminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman-language plastic reduction advocacy organization. Marie participates in campaigns and advocacy through this initiative.
• Zero Waste EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean zero waste organization. Unverpackt Kiel featured in their 'Story of Unverpackt' publication. Marie presented at Zero Waste Europe annual meeting in Brussels in 2018.
• Unverpackt-Läden Netzwerk (France)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of unpackaged stores in France. Marie contributed to the network and shared knowledge across international unpackaged retail community.
• opencampusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project with opencampus to optimize inventory management software for unpackaged stores. Partnership connecting Kiel universities with businesses and organizations for practical student applications.
• Ernährungsrat KielminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKiel Food Council. Marie Delaperrière is co-founder. Focuses on sustainable food consumption, local sourcing, and food system transformation.
• Klimaschutz Kiel 2050minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Kiel climate protection initiative. Unverpackt contributes to waste reduction and sustainable consumption goals as part of comprehensive climate action strategy.
• Plastikfreie Insel Föhr / Plastikfrei wird trendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBUND project for plastic-free coastal environment in Schleswig-Holstein. Unverpackt participated in regional model project for marine plastic waste reduction.
• SPICE Women's EntrepreneurshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentoring program for women's businesses. Marie Delaperrière contributed as a mentor supporting female entrepreneurs in the region.
• Grell NaturkostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Grell Naturkost on external training programs. One of many Unverpackt stores that received academy training and subsequently partnered for knowledge sharing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Day by Day (DaybyDay): French zero-waste bulk retail chain (started 2016, now multiple locations) selling unpackaged groceries, household, and cosmetics. Most directly comparable European format to Unverpackt — same product mix, same BYO-container model, and overlapping sustainability positioning.
• Unverpackt Karlsruhe: Karlsruhe-based package-free store, cited in the source as having attended Marie's 2015 workshop and opened in 2016. Identical retail concept, trained by the same Akademie, and a clear direct peer in the German zero-waste retail network.
• Unverpackt Berlin: Berlin-based package-free bulk store, explicitly cited in the source as a graduate of Marie's Akademie. Same business model, same German-speaking market, same product assortment, and served by the same training program.
• Original Unverpackt (Bad Homburg): Often credited as Germany's first permanent package-free supermarket (opened 2014 in Berlin). Closest direct peer to Unverpackt Kiel: same zero-waste bulk retail format, same German market, same customer base of conscious consumers.
• Unverpackt Lübeck: Directly named in the source as part of the Unverpackt network founded by Wiebke; operates the same package-free bulk retail concept in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein — directly comparable in model, geography, and customer base.

Others

• Zero Waste Europe: European-level NGO that featured Unverpackt Kiel in its 'Story of Unverpackt' publication and hosted Marie at its 2018 Brussels meeting. Not a commercial peer but a core ecosystem/advisory organization that amplifies the Unverpackt brand and shapes EU policy tailwinds for the format.
• Recup (RECUP GmbH): Germany's leading reusable deposit cup system, which Unverpackt Kiel explicitly adopted in its bistro. Adjacent ecosystem participant in the German reusable-packaging infrastructure that the Unverpackt concept relies on.

Regional players

• Het Groene Winkeltje (Netherlands): Dutch small-format zero-waste and organic bulk grocery retailer. Comparable European regional player in the same package-free bulk format; useful peer for cross-border benchmarking but geographically distinct.

Broad incumbents

• Biocoop (France): France's largest network of organic and bulk-friendly food retailers with a long-standing commitment to package reduction. Broader incumbent in the same European zero-waste/eco-conscious grocery space; relevant for benchmarking how a scaled, multi-store organic+bulk retailer can sustain operations where Unverpackt Kiel could not.

Emerging players

• Unpackaged (UK): UK-based pioneer (founded 2006) of package-free retail consulting and pop-up stores, with similar mission-driven focus on bulk dispensers and BYO containers. Closest UK analogue to Unverpackt Kiel and a relevant peer for the consulting/training side of the business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unverpackt

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unverpackt