Vegan Action
Nil Zacharias
Plantega
By Lucía Rivera
Nil Zacharias' project, Plantega, is the union of plant-based foods and bodegas, small stores in Spanish-speaking areas that Zacharias describes as an essential part of New York City's fabric. Plantega is currently active at 10 NYC bodegas, aiming to provide "delicious, high-quality, plant-based food in formats that feel familiar and accessible to everyone."
"We believe by selling retail products, and especially offering plant-based foods made fresh off the grill in formats that are similar to sandwiches one would typically grab at a bodega (offering them at competitive prices), we are making it easier for everyone to make their default food choice the more sustainable one," Zacharias said.
Plantega is not Zacharias' first step into the food sustainability space, where he expressed having seen a "growth and evolution of plant-based brands and products." However, Zacharias and the Plantega team recognized a lack of accessibility of those brands and products in some places in NYC.
"We thought to ourselves, 'What if we could jumpstart an effort to democratize access to sustainable plant-based food in a way that empowers local businesses to earn revenue, while offering consumers good food at competitive prices?' And Plantega was born."
The creation of Plantega was also in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, following a meeting of "entrepreneurs and professionals" brought together by Effect Partners in 2020. Effect Partners works with musicians and brands for climate and social justice causes.
"Plantega was conceptualized via that effort and designed from the ground up to be launched initially as a three-month prototype focusing on underserved communities in New York City where the economy and its residents were severely affected by the pandemic," Zacharias said.
Since then, Plantega has partnered with various vegan brands to supply more bodegas with vegan grill and fridge options, including breakfast burritos, "cheeseburgers", and "tuna" melt sandwiches. These items are targeted to "anyone who is unfamiliar with plant-based foods because it is unavailable where they live or work, or the plant-based options that are available are overpriced or not offered in culturally relevant ways," according to Zacharias.
"We are very intentional about every ingredient featured on our menu and our retail installations because we want to ensure we are meeting the needs and tastes of the communities we serve. We only partner with brands that believe in and support our social impact mission and we choose products that are not only category leaders, but also fulfill a specific need and taste profile on our menu," he said.
Plantega hopes to continue working with bodegas around NYC and spreading plant-based products. Learn more about their work at eatplantega.com
Lucía Rivera is a college student and long-distance VRG volunteer from southern California. She has been vegetarian for 11 years, vegan for one year, and spends her spare time volunteering, reading, and baking.
