For anyone new to shopping sustainably and consciously, it may be hard to know where to start. Greenpop pledge partner, Wellness Warehouse, takes the guesswork out and is a one-stop shop for all conscious consumer needs. 

When shopping at Wellness Warehouse, customers can donate to tree planting efforts at Greenpop at checkout. From 2020 to date, Wellness Warehouse has donated towards the planting of 1524 trees with us (as of the end of September 2023). These trees have been planted in our restoration sites across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Empowering Holistic Wellbeing

Wellness Warehouse’s purpose statement, “Empowering holistic personal journeys to natural wellbeing” is so fitting in this day and age. In our fast-paced world, it’s easier than ever to neglect the things that truly matter, like taking care of our health from the inside out. Wellness Warehouse aims to make healthy foods, and natural cosmetics, more easily accessible – ensuring you can live well and thrive from the inside out.

Wellness Warehouse was first established in 2007 and is now a leading organic food retailer, successfully running over 50 stores across South Africa with organic and natural cosmetic goods and food items. 

They stock a wide variety of products, from alternative and organic foods, conscious cosmetics and beauty, eco-home products and so much more. Some of the brands sold under the Wellness umbrella are Wellness Own Brand, Truefoods, and Soaring Free to name but a few. The products stocked at their stores are made with natural ingredients and packaging is as sustainable as possible, which makes shopping at Wellness Warehouse an easy and informed choice for the eco-conscious consumer.

What we buy has a story far beyond the shelf

The cosmetic and beauty industry is ever-growing with thousands of brands and products on the market. With the rise of social media influencers and mass consumerism becoming all the more normal, it’s easy to follow trends when it comes to what we buy.

The consequences of this mass consumerism has far-reaching impacts on the environment. 

“The cosmetics industry has seen its share of ethical questioning over the years. Given issues such as the use of unnatural substances and chemicals, animal testing practices, and little warning about potential health concerns”– Earth.Org

The beauty industry also creates over 120 billion units of packaging waste annually.

Being mindful of what we use and put into our bodies is extremely important, not only for our health but also for the health of the natural environment. Wellness Warehouse follows strict policies to ensure the products sold at its stores are safe to use with minimal impact on the environment.  

Creating a space of Wellness 

Sharing this knowledge with the public is also at the heart of what Wellness Warehouse does. Wellness Warehouse has been a wholesome addition to Greenpop’s Reforest Fest over the past few years, where they have brought their expertise to our festival space. 

Reforest Fest is Greenpop’s annual tree-planting festival hosted at Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat, where people from all walks of life come together to plant trees and enjoy a variety of interesting talks, workshops and activities, live music and unique food experiences. Reforest Fest is aimed at restoring indigenous forests, whilst also reconnecting with nature and community.

The Wellness Cafe captured at Reforest Fest. Photographer: Ashleigh De Villiers.

Wellness Warehouse sponsored two spaces at Reforest Fest 2023 – namely the Wellness Cafe, and Wellness Space.

The Wellness Cafe was a warm hub at Reforest Fest, where guests could enjoy hot drinks, cosy cushions and sweet conversations. Wellness Warehouse sponsored a variety of delicious herbal teas, hot chocolate, nut milks and alternative sweeteners like coconut sugar. 

The Wellness Space was a space of tranquility at Reforest Fest 2023. Photographer: Michael O’ Kennedy.

While nourishing the body, nourishment of the mind and soul through breathwork, movement and flow also took place at Reforest Fest in the beautiful Wellness Space, which was a tranquil area for guests to unwind and get grounded. We connected with the Group Head of Organisational Sustainability, Olivia Badach and she had this to say: 

“Our purpose at Wellness Warehouse is to ‘inspire and enable individual health journeys that have a positive impact on our collective wellness, as well as that of our planet’. Partnering with Greenpop enables our organisation to get actively involved and live our value of ‘take a stand’ for the wellbeing of our planet. We know that a better world is possible and with Greenpop as an environmental partner we can play our part in positively contributing to forest restoration and environmental awareness.” 

We are infinitely inspired by the work Wellness Warehouse are doing, to transform the way shopping is done, and educating the public on the importance of mindful consumerism. Partnerships like the one we have with Wellness Warehouse helps make the work we do to restore forest ecosystems possible, and their support has been invaluable. We look forward to having Wellness Warehouse join us at our future festivals.