ANN ARBOR – BYOC Co. will be opening its doors soon at Liberty Square at 255 E. Liberty Street downtown.
Meaning “bring your own container,” BYOC is the brainchild of University of Michigan alumna Emma Hess, who has been holding successful of pop-ups over the past year at Vertex Coffee Roasters, Agricole Farm Stop in her hometown of Chelsea and Musgrove & Company in Tecumseh.
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Hess offers a variety of personal care and household cleaning products that she will fill customers’ containers with. She also has some free containers at her store, as well as mason jars for purchase.
“Rather than going into a grocery store to buy a plastic bottle off a shelf, filled with a product that may not be good for our bodies or environment, I’d love for folks to visit us at BYOC Co.,” said Hess. “I want people to feel confident in the things they’re buying.”
Her eco-friendly products range from shampoo and conditioner bars and hand soap to dish soap and laundry detergent. All of her sustainable products are natural and are hand-selected based on the needs and preferences of her customers.
Hess started BYOC Co. after facing a tough job market following graduation. After seeing how much traction her pop-ups were getting, she decided to get her own storefront at Oxford Companies’ centrally located Liberty Square.
“I call myself someone who strives for a low-waste lifestyle,” said Hess. “Sometimes, folks feel like taking action to reduce waste is an all-or-nothing battle -- and I want them to know that even just one small step, like switching to shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo, can make a big difference.
“I’m not perfect in this environmental movement and never expect that others are either - and I’m certainly aware that there’s a lot that goes into why and how people create waste. BYOC Co. is here to help with whatever small steps that people can take to make their lifestyles more sustainable. And there’s never, ever any judgment. We’re just here to help.”
For more information and to see which products she offers, visit www.byocco.com.