A couple just opened what’s believed to be the world’s first Black-owned autonomous grocery store in the world. The name, Nourish + Bloom.
Jamie and Jilea Hemmings are the owners and creators of Nourish + Bloom Market in Fayetteville, Georgia. The grocery store is also the first Black-owned autonomous grocery store with a robotic delivery service in the country, according to the founders.
An autonomous grocery store means that customers can essentially walk in, pick their items and leave the store without waiting in line or scanning to pay.
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“People think that autonomous means that you’re taking jobs away,” Hemmings told ABC News. “It actually is not. We are changing the way their jobs are done.”
The couple’s journey into the food industry was inspired after their oldest son was diagnosed with Autism. It prompted the couple to experiment with healthier plant-based food alternatives, which they say helped to improve their child’s performance.
When they moved to Fayetteville from Chicago, they noticed the area was a food desert that had limited access to healthy and affordable food. So, they decided to do something about it.
The Hemmings want to make eating healthy and convenient and through their autonomous shopping and robotic delivery model, customers have 24/7 access to real food and environmentally friendly products anytime.
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“All products provided at Nourish + Bloom Markets are made with the highest quality ingredients that are minimally processed,” a statement on the website reads. “No GMO’s or high fructose corn syrup allowed!”
If you like human interaction with your shopping experience, then you can have that, too. There will be employees to assist you throughout the market.
The couple says they have plans to franchise the store with the goal of opening 800 stores across the country.
Learn more about Nourish + Bloom and how the autonomous system works here.
