Last Updated on January 23, 2024

I am so happy to finally have visited Rainbow Grocery. I felt like a kid at disney world.

I would love to go back and take more detailed notes, but I was too enamored to focus. 

If you’ve had difficulty finding anything, Rainbow probably has it. This is a list of things that stood out to me.

Thankfully, I had two friends to help document our excursion Gillian and Danielle from No Need for Mars. We met almost a year ago! 

beauty section:

• Activated Charcoal
• Epson Salts
• Lotion
• Shampoos
• Xylitol
• diatomaceous earth
• Washing Soda
• Laundry Detergent
• Skin Cleanser
• Shea Butter

snacks:

• Every type of dried fruit imaginable: bananas, persimmon, dates, pears, raisins, crystalized ginger, mango, blue berries, inca berries, pineapple, etc. 
• Chocolate covered everything
• Ginger Snaps
• Trail Mixes
• Granola
• Pretzels
• Nuts

I was actually a little disappointed in the snack department (no cheddar whales), but I find most other bulk stores only have snacks; so, I didn’t mind one bit.

The most impressive part of the store is the wet good section.

wet goods: 

• Kimchi
• Miso
• Salsa
• Tofu
• Maple Syrup
• Honey
• Molasses
• Nut Butters
• Sauerkraut
• Olives
• Olive Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Canola Oil
• Seasame Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Tahini
• Nutella
• ACV
• Liquid Aminos
• Coconut Oil
• Tamari
• Agave

My dad sent me a penguin jar filled with maple syrup for Christmas two years ago.

I finally had the opportunity to refill him! Such and exciting day. I mean look at my face – sheer joy and amazement. 

They built a tree where you can pump maple syrup into your own container. So. Exciting.

Rainbow has an AMAZING selection of jars to choose from incase you need one!

I know you’ve read here several times, that I don’t need anymore jars – but I was a total sucker for a large tuliped weck jar.

It made it a lot easier to scoop peanut butter. As you can tell, I was struggling. 

But, Rainbow has sinks by all of their sticky ingredients to clean off your hands and jar! 

coffee, herbs, tea, spices:

When I’m back I will take more notes on theses sections. But, they did have bee pollen, which should help with Justin’s allergies this spring.

dry goods:

• Dry Pasta: Bowtie, Macaroni, Tortellini, Spaghetti, but upfront they have freshly made raviolis! (next on my list of things to buy)
• Flours: Spelt, Rye, All-Purpose, Oat, Bread, Rice, Buckwheat, Whole Wheat, Semolina etc.
• Sugar: Sucant, Coconut, White, Brown, Powdered Sugar
• Grains: Quinoa, Brown Rice, White Rice, Farro, Millet, Grits, Sushi Rice, Barley, etc.
• Beans: Garbanzo, Pinto, Navy, Black, Fava, Cannellini, etc.
• Xanthan Gum
• Agar Agar
• Beet Root Powder
• Whey Powder
• Oats
• Dry Milk
• Salts
• Cornstarch
• Arrowroot
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda

This is just the tip of the iceberg at rainbow grocery. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend you check it out. 

how does it work?

There are several scales scattered throughout the store.

You weigh your container *before* filling it. You can use containers you brought or purchase some from Rainbow. 

Fill up your container with what ever you like and take a picture of the bin number with your phone. That way you don’t have to write it on a tab. 

When you check out, the cashier will subtract the weight of your container.

Then they’ll ask what’s inside, you’ll give them the bin number. They’ll also subtract $.05 for each container you bring! 

Wasn’t that easy? 

You can read a more in depth article about zero waste shopping here.

If you don’t have access to bulk check out my article here.