Come check us out.
Every week.
Wednesday & Thursday.
11 am to 3 pm
Buy Your Own Bulk.
Buy Your Own Bulk, aka BYOB, is a non-profit organization that started back in March 2018.
Since the beginning, our goal is to provide affordable, organic, and fair-trade dry foods to the McGill community while reducing waste production through the promotion of healthy and sustainable eating habits.
Not many know that BYOB is a replica of En Vrac, the student run bulk store which operates out of Université de Montréal. After being granted the authorization from En Vrac’s Founder, Samuel Frappier: Jonny (Jonathan Leblanc) founded BYOB. Helped by Katharina Paul-Mercier, Nicolas Martel, Dr. Maureen Rose, Paul-Guy Duhamel and Alice Viala, BYOB became what it is known for today.
How The Organization Works
Once a week, BYOB organizes a sale on the MacDonald Campus.
Prior to the sale, we buy dry food items in bulk, such as legumes, grains, dried fruits, and nuts from suppliers across Montreal, which we then sell to students, staff and community members. We are able to maintain prices that are lower than regular retailers since our organization is run by volunteers.
One of the most notable aspects of our organization is that we only sell food in bulk and ask clients to bring their own containers, which promotes sustainable shopping habits. This is especially crucial considering that, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, containers, and packaging account for 23% of all landfill waste!
A special thanks
To Samuel Frappier and the whole team of En Vrac for collaborating with us since the beginning and for sharing all your tips and tricks.
This project could not have seen the light without the help of Dr. Maureen Rose, who believed in the project with the start; Paul-Guy Duhamel who granted us storage in the Food Lab; Joêlle Mottart from MCSS that allowed us to use the the many rooms in the Centennial Centre; Krista Houser from SPF for your help with the funds application; MSEG for their collaboration with downtown sales; and the countless volunteers without whom BYOB would not exist.