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Miami startup delivers and refills the perfect pantry, milkman-style – easy and sustainably

You’ll want to jump in on this. The Rounds is one of those new superstar startups that has just come to Miami. Not only is The Rounds a first for us, but it’s an environmentally friendly first – it’s Miami’s first zero-waste delivery-refill service. Using their service means you’ll be able to keep your pantry filled easily and sustainably, because all your must-haves – from household basics (think coffee, oils, pasta, laundry detergent) to fresh baked goods to baby food and diapers and pet supplies – can be auto-scheduled, delivered and refilled via electric bikes, sans packaging. Forget those Amazon boxes. Forget struggling to get the plastic off the paper towels (and the guilt that comes with throwing that plastic away). Forget needing to rush out at the last minute to get toilet paper. Save big dollars on wholesale goods (many locally sourced or even made only in Miami) brought to your house so you don’t have to purchase in bulk, while saving 50 pounds of recycling a year.

The Rounds has already burned up the digital communication lines in Philly and D.C., with members urging everyone they know to jump on their environmentally-friendly, solution-based bandwagon. Their simpler, smarter, seamless, sustainable, money-saving, space-saving solutions debuted at just the right time. With all the climate change news, and so many residents being locked inside with delivery boxes due to the pandemic, people, especially in cities, were ready for some help. The Rounds came in swinging strong, with 100+ carefully researched (and many locally-sourced) needed pantry products that could be auto scheduled once. After that, the electric bikes zipped up and delivered refills and took off with used containers until the following week when the next delivery came. It was a huge relief. Residents no longer had to look for places to store boxes and plastic bags from online stores, and they no longer had to spend time and money on gas doing one of the least-favorite chores of the week: purchasing pantry staples. The Rounds became a thing.

Because of The Rounds’ huge success in the Northeast, the co-founders of The Rounds, Alexander Torrey and Byungwoo Ko were ready to expand so they chose Miami. (Yes, NYC. Yes, L.A., you’ll have to wait your turn.) They knew that with Miami’s huge expansion in population and business development, combined with its lack of infrastructure for recycling, a move to the 305 would be the next best place where they could make the biggest impact.

So The Rounds knocked on the doors of Miami local businesses to see if they, too, would be interested in partnering up, because, after all, part of being environmentally conscious is supporting/buying local. Cut to weeks later, and Miamians are already receiving products delivered straight to their door from local faves and, in many cases, Miami-only companies, like OMG Brigadeiros and Imperial Moto Coffee

And that’s not the only benefit members receive. For an outrageously small $5.95 a month, members receive personalized set-it-and-forget-it refills, autopilot weekly drop-offs and container pickups, access to the best premium natural produce at bulk shop prices (up to 40% less than they’d pay at the store – of course, you still pay per item on the items you order), and thoughtfully designed, reusable containers that complement the home. (Just go ahead and sign up, using the promo code TROPIC to receive 1 year of free delivery: The Rounds Membership. Mother Earth, your gas tank, your budget, and your need for free time will all thank you.) 

OMG Brigadeiros’ owner, Luciano Brilho shares high praise of The Rounds. “It is a pleasure to be part of such an incredible project.” Brilho believes that OMG Brigadeiros and The Rounds share the same purpose and objective of “understanding, prioritizing and making the client’s needs a priority,” and they also “execute everything efficiently to provide a unique experience for both the customers and local vendor partners.”

In order for The Rounds to run efficiently, they had to buy in bulk and store in bulk, which has offered members the added benefit of not needing to find a place to store those 20 rolls of paper towels, four 36 fluid oz bottles of mouthwash, 8 super-duper-large boxes of cereal, and that 10 pound bag of cookies that go stale before anyone even gets to the end. Why load your pantry up when The Rounds can bring you what you need when you need it? Using The Rounds allows you to shop as if you’re going to Costco, only you don’t have to lug all that bulk back home. Instead, you can just go for the samplers; enjoy the toothpick-skewered meatballs and let The Rounds bring you your TP as needed. 

Miami Customer Leonard Horn, who used to “stare at piles and piles of plastic wrap after putting everything away,” no longer has to feel guilty about the unnecessary waste. And, he says, “The Rounds takes the thought out of thoughtless (but time-full) chores… knowing that the stuff I need will be at my front door simply doesn’t have a price tag. It’s priceless. It’s hard to imagine life without the Rounds.”

The Rounds Miami's first zero-waste delivery pick up refill serviceEffortless, environmental solutions to keep your pantry filled with as many locally sourced products is already a winning idea. If it all sounds too good to be true, you’d be right. Because it’s even better than that. Once you place your order the first time, you don’t have to place it again (unless you need to tweak it). The Rounds auto-scheduler is extraordinary. After a month of having deliveries made, the scheduler actually predicts, based on your weekly orders, what you are using the most, and offers suggestions for adding or subtracting for your next delivery. 

As for the logistics of picking up and delivering – easy. Once you’ve used what’s in the containers, you just leave the empties on your doorstep, and The Rounds swaps them out for new ones on your designated refill day. You don’t even have to leave the house. Considering how successful The Rounds has been in Philly and D.C., they’re predicting more local partnerships with businesses like OMG Brigarderos – Miami businesses that want to have their products delivered in a sustainable way (for businesses looking for partnerships > The Rounds for business opportunities). They’ll support the local economy this way, and also bring more jobs to Miami.

The Rounds Miami's first zero-waste delivery pick up refill serviceThe Rounds delivery radius covers central Miami, west to Wynwood, south from Brickell and all the way north up through the 33138 zip code. They anticipate adding Miami Beach in the next 2-3 months. (If your neighborhood is not within delivery range, be sure to sign up for The Rounds waiting list.)