Local Entrepreneur Launches New Food Delivery Service
By Norb Garrett
In the midst of the pandemic, environmentalist and recent East Coast transplant Colleen Henn was getting frustrated. A job at Surfrider Foundation had brought her to San Clemente from Montauk, New York, and her crusade against plastic waste had now reached a boiling point.
Since many of the bulk bins at grocery stores had pre-packed their dried goods in plastic bags, she was also frustrated not to be able to find any online stores that would ship pantry staples in plastic-free packages.
“I remember it was April 2020, and I went on Instagram and posed a question: ‘Where can you buy plastic-free food that can be delivered to your home?’ and no one was doing it,” said Henn, 27, who was instrumental in helping Surfrider’s Eastern Long Island Chapter pass laws banning plastic straws, polystyrene foam (commonly referred to as Styrofoam) and ballots. “So, I figured, I guess I have to do it myself.”
Thus was born All Good Goods, an online food delivery service providing organic pantry staples such as pastas, grains, beans, flours, nuts, coffee and more, delivered 100% plastic-free.
“It’s challenging to start a business,” said Henn, who shipped her first order on Nov. 14, 2020, and since then counts more than 200 customers across the U.S. “There’s a huge learning curve. But, it brings me so much joy to see my clients excited to find a place where plastic-free food is a possibility.”
Henn’s program is unique in many ways, including how she ships products. Clients can receive their items in glass canning jars with their first order, which then serves as the storage vessel for all future orders.
“We’ve thought through every step of the process,” said Henn, who noted that her new business has already prevented more than 650 single-use plastic food bags from ending up in landfills. “The bags we use (to ship the product) are 100% biodegradable—you can bury them in your backyard and they will biodegrade naturally.”
The shipping boxes and packing materials are 100% post-consumer recycled, and all of the products are picked up at one local drop-off center, reducing carbon emissions by eliminating the need for multiple delivery trucks to bring each item to their commercial kitchen space where everything is stored and packaged.
Henn started the business with $4,000 from her savings account, and recently decided to focus on All Good Goods full-time.
A surfer who grew up in Connecticut but went to Santa Clara University to study Environmental Science and Public Health, Henn’s finding San Clemente to be a great fit for her lifestyle and fledgling business.
“I love San Clemente,” said Henn. “The weather’s amazing, and I love surfing 204’s, because the break reminds me of the waves at home in New York.”
All Good Goods
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