From Cowboy Chow to Zero-Waste Entrepreneur

A Conversation with the Founder of Hello!Bulk Markets

We recently sat down with the founder of Hello!Bulk Markets to hear the inspiring, challenging, and resilient story behind one of Salt Lake's most innovative local businesses. From her early fascination with food to navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, Jamaica Trinnaman shares her journey of building a community-focused, sustainable grocery model from the ground up. 

And keep an eye out for Hello!Bulk at the Co-op – we're thrilled that our bulk food section will be provided in partnership with this incredible zero-waste business! 

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what first led you to the grocery industry? 

A: I’m a mother of three boys, originally from a small town in Utah. While I have an art degree, I am a single mom and needed a stable job. That’s when I started working in the bakery at Wild Oats, which later merged with Whole Foods. I instantly fell in love with it. I loved being surrounded by groceries, the energy of a back room, and the satisfying feeling of stocking shelves and breaking down boxes — that always felt like a little victory! I worked my way up from the bakery to floor management and eventually into accounting and payroll, giving me a fantastic overview of how a store operates from many angles. 

Q: Did your interest in food start at a young age? 

A: I’ve always loved food. I thought about it all the time. I was constantly thinking about food and recipes, partly because I did a lot of the cooking and baking for my large family. My younger siblings still tease me about a concoction I called "Cowboy Chow." We didn't have a lot of money, so I had to get creative with what we had. Our freezer was full of meat that our grandfather had given us, so I’d use different spice medleys to make it taste different each time, and I called it “Cowboy Chow” so they’d be excited to eat it. I’ve always loved to cook and was super excited when I left for college and could buy my own groceries, purchasing foods that weren’t as processed as the ones I grew up eating. 

Q: What first sparked the idea for a zero-waste store? 

A: It really started during my time at Wild Oats. They had a robust bulk section, and I saw the beauty of buying only what I needed, which was crucial as a single mom on a budget. The budget-friendliness and lack of waste really drew me in. As a mom, I became incredibly frustrated with packaging, like the tiny Danimals yogurt drinks. That’s two tablespoons of yogurt in plastic packaging that just gets tossed afterward. I started thinking, "Wouldn't it be great if I could get everything in bulk?" That idea percolated for years. 

Hello!Bulk's main location on 300 W carries a plethora of non-perishable grocery items, as well as fresh produce, body care and household cleaning products, and more. Don't forget to bring your own containers!

Q: You also worked as a broker in the grocery industry. How did that experience shape your vision? 

A: Working as a broker for Green Spoon Sales was pivotal. It showed me a completely new side of the industry, from product schematics to the challenges young brands face getting on shelves. It also solidified my determination to fight packaging waste. I saw so many conscientious brands making poor packaging decisions. It confirmed for me that mainstream stores were ignoring the issue and were completely dependent on single-use plastic. I saw stores actively decreasing their bulk sections and pre-packaging items in plastic clamshells, and I knew we were heading in the wrong direction. 

Q: What was the journey like from deciding to open your own store to actually launching it? 

A: After leaving Sprouts, I was determined to open my own store, but I needed a job that allowed the flexibility to work on the concept. My next role, in accounting and payroll at Rancho Markets, was a turning point and exactly what I needed. It was a stable, clock-in, clock-out job that gave me the mental space and consistent schedule to truly develop my idea. Beyond that, it was a really cool grocery model to study. It was a female-owned, family-driven company, and I was inspired by the owner, Miss Ellie, who was fierce and had high expectations of her crew but was also incredibly supportive. It was fascinating to see a business that did things in a totally different way from every other grocery model I had been a part of. She successfully entwined her family in the business and maintained very high standards, and seeing how they functioned financially was really insightful. That stability and inspiration, combined with a course I took called Sustainable Startups, gave me the final push. The course surrounded me with other entrepreneurs and forced me to tackle the scary parts, like financial projections, which gave me the confidence to take my idea seriously. 

Q: The business has certainly had its ups and downs. How has it evolved through challenges like COVID and city construction? 

A: We grew steadily at first. During COVID, our numbers were higher than ever because people were cooking at home and appreciated our sanitary shopping system. After moving to our current location, we became profitable for the first time. But just two months later, major construction started on our street, 300 W, which cut our revenue by 50%. It was worse than the pandemic. People got out of the habit of coming here, and we’ve never fully recovered from that loss. It nearly took us down. 

However, when things have been hard, our customers have carried us. There is rarely a day that someone doesn’t give us a heart-filled, “Thank you for being here.” Their support, along with grants, has been our bridge to a better day. 

Q: You're collaborating with the Wasatch Food Co-op! What does that partnership look like? 

A: The collaboration makes so much sense! Co-ops in other states are often big supporters of refill systems, and this partnership allows us to bring a proven, health-department-approved model into a full-scale grocery store. Our customers are excited, and it will create a unique, positive shopping experience that strengthens the local food ecosystem by incorporating a robust refill program alongside other local brands. 

Q: Why is supporting local, sustainable food systems so important right now?

A: COVID showed us just how fragile our global food systems are. We need to build more transparency and stability locally. When we support local brands, we ensure they are here when we need them, creating a tighter, safer ecosystem for everyone. Innovation lies with small businesses! We can pioneer more conscientious ways to handle waste and reduce our impact in a way that larger models simply can't. 

Q: What advice do you have for people who want to start shopping more sustainably but feel overwhelmed? 

A: Just start small. We’ve seen that people’s ideas change before their habits do, and habits take time. Don't pressure yourself to be perfect. Pick one area to focus on, like refilling your dry goods or your body care products and commit to that. Before you know it, you’ll naturally expand, and you’ll start looking at everything with an eye for reuse. As a bonus, you end up with a beautiful, Pinterest-worthy pantry!  

Q: You've received quite a bit of recognition over the years. Can you share some of those achievements? 

A: Yes! We've been featured in Martha Stewart Magazine, as well as The Story of Stuff. We’ve won multiple awards, such as the SBC Client of the Year award in 2020, and have been recognized in the Salt Lake Tribune's Salt City Best of Awards for three years running. We also won third place for "Best Local Grocer" in City Weekly's Best of 2024. And most recently, I was invited to speak at TEDxSLC this year on the value of reuse!