Volare Stockist: Bin Inn, Papamoa

If you're heading to the Bay of Plenty these holidays, Bin Inn Papamoa is your go-to spot for stocking up on essentials. This family-run store offers a daily selection of Volare Bread's handcrafted loaves, alongside other freshly baked treats served at their in-store coffee shop, The Coffee Project. Whether you're popping in for a last-minute bite or planning ahead, preordering ensures you won't miss out on your favorites.

We recently caught up with the team at Bin Inn Papamoa to learn about their passion for sustainability, the journey behind their award-winning store, and their future plans to inspire more sustainable shopping habits. They shared insights into how they've woven sustainability into their business, the exciting brands they stock (like ours!), and the warm community vibe that makes Papamoa so special.

Stay tuned as we dive into their story—and don’t forget to swing by for your holiday bread and coffee!

What is your origin story? How did Bin Inn Papamoa begin?

Paul and I had careers building brands and growing businesses in Auckland. We made the move out of Auckland once our kids left home, had a bit of a break from work, then decided we were too young to retire and needed a new challenge.

This business was up for sale and fitted our criteria: needed to be a sustainable and resilient business, especially during the unprecedented challenging times we were experiencing with Covid. We knew our skills would be a great fit, with our years within the food,  health and wellness industries. We didn’t have any retail experience, but knew there were fabulous opportunities to improve the business and take it to the next level. So we jumped in!

What motivated you to organize the recent Waste-Less Revolution Open Day?

I was asked to attend an event as a panel member to talk about our business and how sustainability is woven into our core values and daily practices. It was a great day and a platform to showcase our store. As part of this day, I learned about the Tauranga City Council Resource Wise Community Grant, which is something that the council runs every year.  We know that there are plenty of people who express an interest in shopping more sustainably but don’t know how to go about it, where to shop, or are reluctant to commit to it because they believe they don’t have the time to make the switch. That’s how Waste-Less Revolution Open Day came about.

After talking with the TCC team and our team, we decided there would be value in promoting a day where people could join us to learn how Bin Inn Papamoa rolls, and, in fact, how easy, time-efficient and rewarding shopping with us can be.

What do you hope people took away from the event?

Unconsumed food is a significant contributor to landfill waste. We want to do our part to show people how they can waste-less, both food and money through buying only what they need, using all that they buy and rewarding those people who BYO containers to refill from our bulk bins.

In addition, we want to demonstrate that, with a little preparation ahead of time, BYO containers can be time efficient. We hope people leave our store enthused to make this simple change to sustainable shopping.

What are some of your favourite sustainable brands in store?

A few of the brands that we spotlighted during the Waste-Less Open Day, because of their sustainable business values, included Volare Bread, DreamView Creamery, Dr. Bucha, Symbiota, Chantal Organics, Kokako Coffee, and EcoStore to name a few.

What have been some of Bin Inn Papamoa's greatest achievements?

We are very proud to have won Store of the Year 2023 for our group. As first-time retailers, we were chuffed. It has been a team effort. We have fantastic people working alongside us, who help to deliver exceptional customer service. Every day we have customers introducing themselves as ‘first-timers’ to Bin Inn Papamoa and who say that they love our store. It makes all the work worthwhile. The fact that our customer numbers continue to grow strongly is another achievement that we are proud of and certainly never take for granted.

How do you decide which products or brands you have in store?

We choose to range products and brands that align with our values. We like to offer differentiated and quality products; and try to support those brands that may not be widely distributed in supermarkets. It is becoming truly challenging for many smaller operators in the current supermarket space where shelf space and terms can be challenging. We often have the flexibility to support some of these smaller players. We also like to support local. Our customers appreciate this too and our ability to be able to tell the story that sits behind many of the products/brands we sell within our store.

What shopping trends have you noticed recently?

We are seeing more people making more considered purchase decisions: whether this is about how much they are spending, the providence and quality of their food, and the nutritional value derived from their food. We are seeing more people wanting to learn more about health and wellness outcomes from their diets.

Looking ahead, what exciting plans or new projects are on the horizon for Bin Inn Papamoa?

We know there is plenty of upside for people to shop more sustainably. There is a disconnect between customer intentions to shop sustainably and converting for several key reasons. Waste-Less Revolution is the first initiative we have underway to encourage more shoppers to make the change. There will be other initiatives to follow. From a business perspective, we’ve spent the first year improving our systems to streamline the behind-the-scenes operations of our store. Now that this is completed, it is simple to expand and grow our business. It also allows us to be more customer-centric to ensure that we are offering a truly differentiated shopping experience to every customer who chooses to shop with us.

What do you love most about living in Papamoa and running a business there?

The people, as cliché as this might well sound. It is our customers who make the difference and who, often, become friends over time. Here’s an example of an experience I shall hold onto as a standout achievement across my full career. I had a customer who had shifted out of the area and could no longer shop with us. She made a special trip last Christmas to come in and hug me and thank me for what we had done for her. At the end of the day, we were two people sharing honest personal experiences, both good and bad, and on some level it had been helpful to her at a time when she needed to chat. This was truly humbling.

Lastly, what are your (and your customers) favourite Volare Bread products?

We’ve ranged Volare since we purchased the business 3.5 years ago. It’s hard to talk to a favourite, because they’re all dependably great, but the Cumin, Onion, & Turmeric loaf is becoming a winner. The scones, donuts and almond croissants are favourites, which we sell via The Coffee Project, our instore coffee kiosk.