Atlanta Grocery Stores, Nourish and Thrive, Grow Despite ‘Shark Tank’ Busts.

The owners of Black-owned autonomous food market Nourish + Bloom are steadfast of their mission. Even though they left with none investment, they proceed their efforts to deal with food deserts in communities of color.

Nourish + Bloom brings a technological twist to grocery shopping. Even though it is a smaller market in the world, this corner store has a couple of tricks in its aisles. Unlike the normal grocery experience, it’s like this fully functional without the cashier calling the item, as reported by .

Instead, they use a digital tablet with artificial intelligence software – preferring Rosie. Rosie, positioned at the doorway to Nourish + Bloom, welcomes customers and provides them with insight into the modern store. The concept is comparable to Amazon Go, where customers use a QR code to trace purchased items by placing them in weight-sensitive baskets. Transactions happen digitally after leaving the shop. But Rosie doesn’t work completely alone.

The store’s first metro Atlanta location is getting help from owners Jilea and Jamie Hemmings. The husband and wife duo could be found at a high-end food market, helping customers and preparing meals. With Nourish + Bloom, grocery stores aim to not only provide a faster and smoother shopping experience, but in addition provide healthy and nutritious options in these areas. They consider their concept, combined with reduced operating costs, “(makes) groceries sexy again” within the eyes of investors.

“Historically, grocery has not been a lucrative investment opportunity unless you invest on a large scale,” says Jilea Hemmings. “But with this technology, because you can reduce your operating costs, grocery shopping becomes attractive again because you can now reduce your overhead costs and operate for a longer period of time.”

However, investors didn’t consider in its profitability when the couple presented their idea in March. Still, Nourish + Bloom is attempting to prove that eliminating food deserts could be cost-effective with the assistance of food technology. There are currently three more stores set to open throughout Atlanta starting this summer.

Small but mighty, Nourish + Bloom hopes to proceed to grow as its values ​​remain the identical: providing greater access to healthy food to each community directly.