Tölzer unpacked shop is fighting for survival

Created: 05/19/2022, 06:30

By: Andreas Steppan

With a lot of heart and soul: The board members of the Tölz unpackaged shop Brigitte Goldbrunner (left) and Andreas Munkert as well as employee Manuela Rest. Rice and quinoa from Bavarian cultivation © Pröhl

Three years after it was founded, the "Ois ohne" is in crisis.

Without an increase in sales, the Tölz unpackaged shop is threatened with closure.

Bad Tölz – With a lot of enthusiasm, a committed team opened the first unpackaged shop in Bad Tölz in 2019.

The third birthday of the "Ois ohne" on Hindenburgstraße is actually a reason to celebrate - and yet the team looks to the future with concern.

If there is no noticeable increase in sales in the coming months, the project is in danger of coming to an end.

Those responsible are fighting back with new ideas.

The crisis of the unpackaged shops is “noticeable everywhere in Germany”

The crisis of the unpackaged shops is "felt everywhere in Germany", reports board member Markus Scheffler.

Some have already closed, "we're glad we're still here".

1000 to 2000 euros more turnover per month would have to be in Tölz for the business to be sustainable, explains founding member Katharina Kuhn.

"We are a cooperative and do not want to delay insolvency, but prefer to pull the brakes beforehand."

Corona and war displace the topic of climate change

"We speculate a lot about what caused the dent," says Kuhn.

On the one hand, it could be because food prices have generally increased.

"And we're not necessarily cheap," admits Kuhn.

On the other hand, Corona and war would have pushed the problems of species protection and climate change out of public awareness.

Are fewer customers coming because more people are working from home?

Managing director Sabine Riesch sees a possible reason that many people from the surrounding area no longer come to Tölz so often because they work from home - and if they do, they prefer to do all their shopping in a single shop.

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.

Kuhn notes that even discounters are now selling unpackaged fruit and vegetables or even bamboo toothbrushes.

That is positive.

"But there the toothbrush probably comes from mass production." The "Ois ohne" on the other hand does extensive research on the origin and fair production conditions of its products.

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Redesign of the store and a cooperation with "Biotop"

The whole team still hopes that the “Ois ohne” has a future.

In order to bring momentum to the store, it will be redesigned in the coming weeks and become clearer with uniform signs and new shelves, announced Kuhn.

A cooperation with the Lenggrieser cooperative “Biotop Oberland” is also currently being considered.

Markus Scheffel reports that talks are being held as to whether products from the "Ois ohne" could be offered in returnable jars in a possible future self-collection shop in Lenggries.

Rice and quinoa from Bavarian cultivation

In addition, the operators continue to rely on their unique selling propositions.

The Bavarian rice grown in Dachau and quinoa from the same farmer are popular, reports Sabine Riesch - products that usually come from far away growing areas.

“Our tortilla chips are also something special,” she says.

“In the beginning it was about an agricultural engineer who wanted to save an old variety of corn and found a farmer on Lake Starnberg who would grow it.

Then there was a Mexican from Munich who processed the corn into tortilla chips.”

Lunch is served every Tuesday

Every Tuesday, the "Ois ohne" offers a lunch menu with wholesome dishes such as vegetarian patties, asparagus or beetroot risotto for 8.50 euros each or 8 euros with a subscription (students are 1 euro cheaper).

Coffee from a small roastery in Seeshaupt, homemade cakes or hearty snacks can be enjoyed at any time on the newly decorated terrace.

Every customer counts for the future of the store

"Every customer counts so that this special shop can stay in Tölz," advertises Katharina Kuhn.

Anyone who shops here makes a contribution to nature and animal welfare, supports fair production conditions and regionality.

"The shop is important so that everyone can do a little something for a better world," agrees Sabine Riesch.

"The small steps of the individual are important for this."  

You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.