How Local Grocers Turned Trash Into Ten Percent Revenue

Small Business Success with Fexingo: Local Companies, Main Street Stories, and Community Commerce · Sep 28, 2026 · 9m · transcript

Most small grocers treat food waste as a pure cost center, but one chain in the Pacific Northwest flipped the script by turning unsold inventory into branded pet treats and compostable packaging materials. This episode breaks down the operational pivot that saved margins during the September 2026 supply crunch, focusing on the specific logistics of repurposing near-expiry goods before they hit the landfill. We look at the unit economics of this circular model, why it works better than simple markdowns, and how independent shops can replicate the infrastructure without massive capital…