Coop Karlstad reduce waste and increase freshness with GrowOff cabinets

Isabell Johansson, Head of produce Coop Karlstad

It’s Friday afternoon at Coop Tullholmen in Karlstad, and produce manager Isabell Johansson is setting out herbs she’s grown herself. She steps back to admire the small farm nestled within the store, a new part of her daily routine since she set up the GrowOff cabinet by Grönska last autumn.

For Isabell, making the store feel extra welcoming at the end of a busy week is something of a ritual. A spruced-up produce section, an arrangement of the finest greens, or a little extra color is often all it takes. But now, on Fridays, she has something even more personal to offer: fresh, homegrown herbs and lettuce.

“It’s not difficult!” she laughs, recalling how quickly she got the hang of cultivating in the cabinet.

“You just follow the app’s instructions, and it takes care of the rest—water, nutrients, light. It’s really easy, and it’s fun! There’s something special about being able to say I grew these myself.”

The GrowOff cabinet, tucked discreetly in the store, yields up to 300 plants each month and taking less than 1 squaremeter of floor space. For Isabell, her main role is simply to start new seed cassettes and refill the nutrient reservoir when prompted by the app. In return, she gets an ongoing harvest of fresh, pesticide-free herbs that need only travel a few steps to reach the shelves.

“With the GrowOff cabinet we get zero waste which is perfect for plants that have longer shelve-time.”

And it turns out that customers also have noticed the difference. The store-grown herbs sell out quickly, and Isabell has seen a genuine shift in preferences.

“Customers seem to gravitate to these herbs over the ones we bring in. The packaging makes them look really special, too,” she shares.

Beyond the immediate appeal of fresh herbs, the cabinet has sparked something unexpected: conversations - More and more, people ask her about the in-store growing setup. They’re curious about how it works, and some even start talking about growing things at home.

“People are so interested in growing, it’s become a bit of a talking point here,” says Isabell, reflecting on the community spirit that the cabinet has inspired. “We’re always chatting about what to grow next, both here and at home.”

Coop Tullholmen has a reputation for going the extra mile to create a welcoming, unique experience for its customers. And now, with the small in-store farm adding life and conversation to the aisles, it feels like the store has become more than just a place to shop—it’s becoming a little green hub in the heart of Karlstad.

Learn more about how to use GrowOff in grocery stores.