Israel Gets Its First All-Vegan Supermarket

Israel’s first vegan supermarket HaGal Hayarok (“Green Wave”) opened this week in Tel Aviv. Founders Refael Avraham and Eylon Zakzer modeled the store after Berlin-based vegan supermarket Veganz and describe it as a “safe space” for vegans, where all products are sourced ethically and do not involve the exploitation of animals in any way. The 1000-square-foot store offers approximately 4,000 vegan products, including vegan TV dinners, cookies, ice cream, protein bars, cheese, and plant-based milks. Green Wave also features imported items such as Indian snacks and bulk bins filled with legumes, cereals, spices, and tahini. Avraham and Zakzer plan to open five more branches of the vegan supermarket across Israel by 2018. Green Wave joins a host of vegan supermarkets that have sprouted across the world in recent months, including London’s premier market GreenBay and Naturalia—which opened three locations in Paris last month.