Convenient food delivery continues to be a silver lining during the pandemic, making it easy and safe to stock up without stepping into a grocery store or receive takeout. But, we’ve all been there —trying to decide whether to save dozens of plastic grocery bags or toss them, and recycling or discarding plastic packaging waste after the last of the snacks, salad packages and milk is consumed.
Founded in 2019, Infinity Goods changes that pattern. Infinity Goods is a Denver-based zero-waste grocery delivery service that sources and distributes foods and household supplies in reusable, sanitized containers. (Think glass jars, metal tiffins and mesh produce bags.) It makes contactless grocery deliveries Tuesday to Friday to most Denver neighborhoods including from Park Hill to Englewood, Glendale, LoDo, Edgewater and Lakeside and Lakewood. Infinity Goods also offers contactless curbside grocery pickup at 1165 South Broadway (for those out of the delivery area) and compost pickup. Same-day delivery of Somebody People takeout and ready-to-eat meals is available Tuesday to Sunday.
The service charges a $4.99 delivery and cleaning fee for orders below $50 and a $6.99 fee for orders above $50.
The process is simple: Customers submit an order through the Infinity Goods online market — next-day delivery is an option for orders placed before 8 p.m. When groceries are delivered in reusable containers and bags, Infinity Goods then collects any previously used containers for sanitation and reuse for future deliveries. Any remaining plastic packages, like potato chip bags, are taken to be Terracycled for high-quality recycling. The company prioritizes sourcing foods in bulk from local producers and uses Sprouts Farmers Market stores as needed.
“When we approach producers, they have to be open to our packaging platform because it is a new thing for a company to take on — to provide food in reusable containers or in bulk,” founder Ashwin Ramdas said. “Most producers react positively to reducing waste and cost of plastic packaging.” Some product specifications do limit companies from use of reusable packaging — Infinity Goods does not sell meat products, for example.
Local partners include Best One Yet vegan ice cream, Brad B Jammin jams, Colorado Sun Tofu, Elevation Ketchup, Nutty Good almond and oat milk, JoyFill soap and cleaners, Peaceful Rebel, Somebody People, Cibo Meals, St. Kilian’s Cheese Shop and Unwrapp’d energy bites. Other local sources are Spinelli’s Sauces, Roberto’s Salsa, Morning Fresh Dairy and Farmer’s All Natural milk.
“The overall mission is to make it easy for people to get the foods that they love without plastic waste and without sacrificing convenience,” Ramdas said. Some of his favorite grocery items from the Infinity Goods market include Colorado Sun Tofu, ice cream and cheeses.
Ramdas operates the company with his co-founder and a small packaging and transportation team with a fulfillment center in Lakewood.
After frustrating attempts to decrease his own household plastic waste, he considered the quantity of plastic originating from grocery store trips, deeming it “virtually impossible” to access most foods without plastic packaging. The concept for Infinity Goods developed from there in May 2018. To start up, the company received grant funding as a finalist in the 2019 National Geographic and Sky Ocean Ventures’ Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge.
“I’ve always been passionate about environmental protection, conservation and the natural world for a long time,” Ramdas said. “In my last [professional] project related to this passion, I would travel to national parks a lot and travel abroad. I would go out to these wild places and encounter plastic pollution. That really weighed on me.”
Infinity Goods began beta-testing deliveries in October 2019 through March 2020 before officially restarting deliveries this May. Despite an increase in demand in March, Ramdas said that Infinity Goods paused to make procedural changes to address the pandemic. Infinity Goods ensures delivery drivers wear masks and frequently hand sanitize. Ramdas shared that for Infinity Goods operations, direct bulk goods are essential for supplying the market because there has been a decrease in bulk options at grocery stores.
To date, Infinity Goods has delivered to 170 homes and counting. More than 45 new customers have used the service since May.
To check the Infinity Goods grocery market, view the delivery area, suggest a local producer and more, visit the Infinity Goods website. Through the month of July, Infinity Goods is promoting a 5% discount on all delivery and curbside pickup orders.