When Mia and Dave lived in London they used to go shopping in the Crystal Palace market. There they could visit a shipping container called The Grain Store (a food refill outlet) and The Walk Through which is where they used to buy their eco-friendly cleaning liquids and soaps. These two outlets really changed their way of life.
Mia really loved the concepts behind both these businesses because of her experience of drought in South Africa and her exposure as a child growing up to the effects of climate change. For her, looking after the environment is always the most important element of living. When the couple’s daughter was born in 2010 they slowly started to change how they approached life. Mia wanted to get rid of all the toxins that they were putting into their bodies and make their family less ‘chemical’.
Then in 2019 they moved to Rye with its easy access to beaches because it reminded Mia of home, and they wanted a better life for their daughter. Nature was something they wanted her to appreciate. They wanted a different pace of life and to continue the journey of being more eco-friendly in how they lived.
Mia worked at Holland & Barrett and built relationships with local businesses. On the grapevine she heard that there were premises coming up for rent and jumped at the chance to start marketing the products that she was so passionate about. It had really surprised her that she encountered in Rye a lack of focus both on the environment and on sustainability as well, such as the bins around town not differentiating between ‘rubbish’ and ‘recycling’ (something prevalent in Croydon and other London boroughs) and the lack of infrastructure for electric cars.
Mia and Dave opened The Kind Table in April 2022, along with Jess Angell, who has since moved on to other projects including the Mums of Rye group. Located in Market Road, The Kind Table has had a lot of interest in the products on sale. At first it may appear that their products are more expensive, but in the long run they are not, because you use less of the product. Also you can bring in your own containers and have them filled with the products they sell which is much kinder for the environment. One clever thing they have engaged in with local businesses is that the empty containers that would normally be recycled or thrown out are donated to The Kind Table for reuse.
Their eventual dream is to move away from buying from wholesalers like Miniml and make their own products but they are exploring the market, seeing what will sell and what will not and how they can make their own. They are conscious that it is better to walk first rather than sprint round the block and fail because all the pieces are not in place.
Miniml, also known as the ‘friendly chemical company’, was founded by Emma and Scott in 2020 and with the aim to change the way people buy cleaning products. They are not just another natural cleaning brand; they want to encourage people to do more with less.
Mia and Dave have, so far, seen a range of people coming through the door from all demographics and ages. People are interested and they are beginning to see regulars, return purchasers and those who have been recommended to try them out. They endeavour to source products from the UK so that their carbon footprint is as small as it can be.
The containers they use can be reused over five hundred times which is, of course, beneficial for the environment. On sale are not just cleaning products: there are a range of personal care items for all ages as well as refill food essentials including flour, rice, pasta, herbs, baking products, loose-leaf teas and more.
As well as offering home delivery and collection options, the couple appear at a few local pop-up markets, including Brede, Tenterden and Lydd, and once a month they have a table at the discovery centre in Rye Harbour. They are friendly, well-informed about their products and enjoy chatting with people and do not have to use any hard sell tactics because the quality of what they offer sells itself. Many local businesses are now using their products and are able to drive down costs and their waste, too.
If you have not given them a try, pop in and meet Mia and David and start your journey of sustainability right here in your own town.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Great to see these initiatives developing in Rye. Hopefully we can work together too make our town increasingly “sustainable” and get rid of environmentally damaging things such as “single use” plastics in all our retailers!
I have already purchased a few items from the shop and will be exploring their wide range of products further. This is an interesting shop with very friendly service and I wish their business every success.