Gold and Tweed Coast could be home to Australia’s cheapest vegan supermarket

IF you’ve always thought vegan products were too expensive, think again. A local business is on a mission become Australia’s cheapest vegan supermarket — with prices just 10 per cent above cost price.

A GOLD Coast grocer is asking the community to fork out $100 each so he can turn his shop into Australia’s cheapest vegan supermarket.

Brett Page, the owner of Vegan Aisle, the Gold and Tweed Coast’s only vegan supermarket, has launched a new start-up campaign to address soaring prices for healthy eaters.

The Gold Coast could become home to the cheapest vegan supermarket in Australia. Picture Glenn Hampson

He wants members of the community to buy $100 annual memberships to help cover rent, the bulk buying of stock, electricity bills, staff wages and a new website. In return, members will get products at cost price, plus 10 per cent.

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But there’s a catch — he needs at least 800 members, or $80,000, to get started.

“As businesses we usually think we need to get prices higher and higher,” Mr Page said.

“I came up with the idea if we all pay rent, if everyone pays $100 a year, we could actually drop prices down to have the cheapest vegan prices in Australia.

Brett Page says he just needs the community to get on board. Picture Glenn Hampson

“It’s a new business idea and it hasn’t really been seen in Australia.”

Mr Page said members could easily save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, in a year, and would generally only need to shop a few times before saving on the membership price.

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He said one person he spoke to bought 5kg of almonds at $200, but his shop could offer this at $148 under the deal, a saving of $52.

Brett Page and James Denney (R) when Vegan Aisle opened up last year. Photo by Richard Gosling

Mr Page said he was motivated to make the products a better buy after speaking to people who said vegan products were too expensive.

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“There’s so many processes (getting vegan food),” he said.

Yum, cheap vegan food. Picture Glenn Hampson

“For instance, Gardein, it comes from Canada. So it gets to Australia, then to a distributer and we have to buy off the distributer, that’s why the prices keep going up and up.”

Large chain supermarkets were also avid supporters of meat and dairy despite their recent increase in vegan products, Mr Page said, adding it was contradictory to continue supporting them.

“It’s us little guys standing up to the big guys,” he said.

“We have lots of local companies from Burleigh Heads and Byron Bay. We support lots of vegan companies.”

Cheaper prices? Yes please! Photo by Richard Gosling

Extra money towards the campaign would go towards offering wider delivery services and possibly reducing the annual membership price in the future.

To join the offer: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/vegan-aisle-the-cheapest-vegan-supermarket-in-aus--3#/