Hagal Hayarok - The first vegan supermarket chain in Israel
The wait for an entirely vegan supermarket
chain is over.
Hagal Hayarok, Israel’s first vegan
supermarket, is now open for running in - a significant milestone in the vegan
revolution in Israel.
The message brought by Hagal
Hayarok to the world of vegan consumers is nothing short of historic: the chain has been established according to a unique
model, aiming to make veganism accessible to the general public, and provide a
culinary shopping experience that is 100% vegan, involving all the senses. The first store, which officially opened at the
beginning of July, is situated in the Carmel market and covers an area of 100
m². It is planned to be the first in a new and groundbreaking retail chain
based on vegan products, offering a “safe home” for vegans wanting to be
confident that the product they are buying contains no animal components, and
preferring not to have to shop at a number of stores.
Safe Home for the
vegan community
Hagal Hayarok was inspired by Veganz, a leading German
supermarket chain, which has branches in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, and is
the only business in Israel that is “safe” for vegans, and a signatory to a
charter of commitment to veganism. All suppliers of the
chain will sign a veganism charter for suppliers. We
require suppliers to carry out stringent inspections, and to undertake only to
bring products that accord with the principles of veganism. We
check that the product meets the requirements and definitions of veganism
before introducing it into to our stock. Stores across Israel,
without exception, offer vegan products together with products that are not
vegan. The new “Vegan Label” of Hagal Hayarok will enable
customers to be 100% certain that the product is vegan.
Fair trade with
soul players
Another element in the vegan revolution of
Hagal Hayarok – fair and reasonable prices, and in many product categories -
even significantly cheaper than prices in the market. Veganism is perceived as a costly form of
nutrition, mainly because the competitors relate to vegan customers as a
captive audience and increase their profit margins on many products,
significantly beyond normal retail margins. The fair price strategy will leverage
the considerable experience of the entrepreneurs in the retail field and the
professional market for the customer, and will offer exclusive and top quality
products under a private label, with no middleman.
The
fair trade approach is expressed not only in fair prices, but also in the
relationship with vegan suppliers and producers, who are under pressure from
the large chain stores. Hagal Hayarok has made it a mission
to embrace these “soul producers”, who are not given shelf-space in the
supermarkets: to gather them in and offer them a home, and even more, a
business opportunity that the regular chains and stores do not provide - ice
creams, flours, bourekas, pies, all the products that are hard to find in the
health stores and marketing chains, if at all - in
order to increase the range and support local production.
A vegan culinary funfair
The supermarket is a culinary funfair, with a
range of vegan products that have never before been seen in Israel. It carries some 4000 vegan products: cheese
substitutes, meat substitutes, grains and pulses, sauces, preserves, spices,
superfood products (various seaweeds, adzuki beans, frozen acai), special
gluten-free flours, and more… With a wide range of
“soul suppliers” and its own private label brand, Hagal Hayarok offers an
exciting, vegan culinary experience of colors, flavors, and smells from around
the world – vegan Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian), Italian, Ethiopian,
Mexican, Israeli, American, and so much more.
A wide range of products will be on offer under
the Hagal Hayarok private label, produced by the Black Hebrew community in
Dimona, who lead the field of veganism in Israel. The
private label products cannot be found anywhere else: 8
kinds of ice cream, soy cheeses, baked goods, pies, pastrami, and special products
based on tofu and seiten (a
parent product resembling and tasting like meat, based on wheat protein) – for
example, hamburger, meatballs, shawarma. Alongside the range of food products, the leaders of
Hagal Hayarok also intend to offer a range of consumer goods and beauty products
containing no animal-based ingredients –cosmetic series and
fashion products.
Tasty vegan,
that’s what it’s about
The third principle behind Hagal
Hayarok is expressed in the slogan “Tasty vegan, that’s what it’s about”: The usual impression of vegan food is that taste is less
important than health. Hagal Hayarok starts from a love of
vegan cuisine, and emphasizes: “We don’t only sell you products, we also teach
you how to enjoy vegan food at home”. Hagal Hayarok not only makes the vegan
world and the shopping experience accessible, but also teaches how to use the
products to prepare tasty food, making professional knowledge available –
cooking techniques, recommended dishes and menus. “Our
deep culinary understanding and our ability to extract maximum taste and
pleasure from every dish are put across to the consumer, emphasizing the
correct use of each product, the right combination of products, and choosing
the right product for the customer’s use and needs.
“In addition to the confidence that every
product is vegan, customers also benefit from practical know-how in producing
the best flavors and the greatest enjoyment from the product. Before any item is introduced, there is a
tasting process that also includes cooking with the product, to ensure that it
is tasty and to prepared instructions for use based on experience, and not just
on theory.”
Veganism in
Israel
The vegan
lifestyle is gaining momentum in Israel, and with size comes consumer power. It is
estimated that 5% - 7% of the food consumption market is vegan (300,000 to
500,000 vegans), with numbers increasing sharply as of five years ago, and
growing steadily. Many vegan restaurants have opened in recent
years, and more restaurants have a vegan menu, or at least vegan dishes on the
menu. Vegan hamburger is one of the most common dishes in the country. The big food manufacturers have not remained indifferent
to the growing community, and have begun “veganizing” and adapting their
products to suit the needs of food without animal ingredients.
About the
entrepreneurs
Rafael Avraham and Eylon Zakzer, founders of
the chain: “We are proud of the new venture, which will
make veganism accessible, initially in the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, and later
in other towns around Israel. The unique concept
will give peace of mind to the vegan consumer, and no less importantly – a
culinary experience that will open up new worlds of tastes and smells to home
cooks. We believe that Hagal Hayarok will become a retail
culinary institution, bringing a different culinary experience of top quality,
vegan, raw materials, all under one roof and at fair prices.”
About the entrepreneurs:
Eylon Zakzer – importer and
distributor of food products to the institutional market (hotels, catering,
banqueting halls and gardens. The company has been in operation for more than
20 years, and is considered to be a leading supplier in the field. In recent years, Eylon has become the father of a vegan
child, and has led to the vegan revolution in the institutional market,
specializing in veganism and developing a product line enabling his customers
to offer a rich and top-quality vegan menu.
Rafael Avraham –
has considerable managerial, chain, and retail experience. Rafael
underwent a deep, personal experience, continuing to this day, in connection
with the vegan lifestyle. Rafael is a culinary
authority, and an admired, talented and creative cook who combines expertise in
ethnic cooking and popular home cooking with freestyle and creative gourmet
fusion.
I came to "Hagal Hayarok" first store at "Carmel Market" Tel Aviv, and was really impressed by the great variety of products.
Here are some pictures I took there:
Hagal Hayarok – the first vegan supermarket.
The first store in the Carmel market, 50 Hacarmel St. Tel Aviv
Sunday to Thursday 9 am – 8 pm, Friday 9 am – 4 pm.
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