Behind the counter are siblings Lidia and Josué Vicente. She left behind more than two decades working in industrial logistics to open a completely different kind of business. He joined her a year later. Together, they opted for a neighborhood shop based on bulk buying, waste reduction and a personal approach which, they say, remains their main hallmark.
A BUSINESS BORN TO CHANGE PACE
The idea of opening DeTarros (C/ Torre Nueva, 30, Zaragoza) did not arise because Lidia Vicente had previously worked in the food sector. Quite the opposite. After more than two decades devoted to industrial logistics, she decided to take her professional life in a new direction. She was looking for work that was closer to people, a neighborhood shop and another way of understanding consumption. After considering different options, she found in bulk sales the project that best matched that idea.
From the outset, she had the support of her brother Josué, who shared the same vision. During the first year, he helped out wherever he could until, when the shop began to establish itself, he became part of the team. Today, the two work side by side running the store. "We love each other, and we also get on each other's nerves," Josué jokes, referring to the good relationship between them.
MUCH MORE THAN BULK SALES
DeTarros' approach is based on a simple idea: buying only what is really needed. Customers decide how much they want to take home and can bring their own containers. If they do not have any, the shop uses paper bags to minimize the waste it generates. "Eliminating plastic altogether is impossible, but we try to make small changes to reuse things and spend as little as possible," Josué says.
Those who arrive for the first time discover that the business aims to do more than sell food. The shop is designed to be explored calmly, without the usual pace of a supermarket. Background music, products arranged in jars and on shelves, and a self-service system allow each customer to take as much time as they need. "We try to make people feel at home when they come in, as if they were in their own pantry," the manager explains.
That atmosphere brings together very different kinds of customers. Some are neighbors who remember the old-fashioned grocery stores and enjoy rediscovering that way of shopping, while others come looking for a healthier diet or more conscious consumption. To this day, they still have customers who first walked through the door in the same year the shop opened.
GROWING JUST ENOUGH NOT TO LOSE ITS ESSENCE
What began with around 200 products now has about 700. The range has grown gradually, adapting to customers' requests and needs. Among the most popular products are coffee, spices and Ceylon cinnamon. They also offer vermouth in bulk, one of the store's most eye-catching options, allowing customers to refill the bottle and reuse the container.
Over the years, they have also added an online shop to make ordering easier and reach customers who prefer to buy from home. However, that growth has a very clear limit. The Vicente siblings do not want to turn DeTarros into a chain or open new locations. Their goal remains the same as when they opened the doors in 2019: to maintain a small neighborhood shop where they can get to know the people who come through the door and see them return week after week.
