LISTEN TO a group of responsible cafe OWNERs AS tell their stories and share their inspiration for POSITIVE IMPACT AND change.
ABOVE: Meet Muz – the owner and founder of the iconic Republic Bakery in Bondi Beach, Sydney.
As one of the first Responsible Cafes to jump on the reuse train, it is entering its 15th year in Bondi, which is an incredible feat in an expensive and competitive location. The reason for their continued survival are the core beliefs central to the Republic Cafe culture. They truly believe in their values and follow through with putting their money where their mouth is!
They hold their environmental and social duty close. Core to the DNA of the Republic Bakery is maintaining a 100% carbon offset with renewable energy. The cafe has developed a secure supply chain, focusing on proximal supply and reduced packaging. They purchase as locally as possible, reward fair trade and use ethical suppliers that they can challenge to do better. For Muz, reusing and reducing is the paramount solution.
ABOVE: Moon Rabbit is a cafe brought to life by the not-for-profit organisation Bridge Darebin and is creating meaningful social impact along with its environmental innovations! It is the training site for students in a tailored work-readiness program (TTT program), provides an income stream for Bridge Darebin’s underfunded community programs, such as Laneway Lunches, and provides affordable, accessible food through Bulk Foods Collective.
Moon Rabbit’s top tips for becoming a Responsible Cafe are: – Setting your intentions and knowing your why – why are you doing this, why does it matter to you? – And if you feel out of your depth and don’t know where to begin, start reading and finding out what those gaps are for you and how to bridge them!
ABOVE: We speak to Head chef Hemi Reidy who explains how sustainable PROCUREMENT is embedded in an overall approach to being a Responsible Café – with not only building relationships with local farmers but also sourcing 70-80% of veg from an onsite organic garden. You will also hear how Hemi’s PURPOSE to work sustainably is very strong and how the Cafe’s PERFORMANCE is strengthen by staff choosing to embrace every element of the business activity.
ABOVE: Meet the owner of Cat and Cow cafe in Randwick telling us why zero waste is so close to their hearts and how they have achieved this amazing mission!
ABOVE: Meet Jude and Grant from a gorgeous organic store and cafe in Fitzroy North in Melbourne. Their focus is wellbeing – both personal wellbeing and planet wellbeing. They create delicious vegetarian food sourced from local producers and encourage minimal packaging wherever possible. Compost warriors they work a local farmer to compost all their organic waste.
ABOVE: Hear from Tenille Gilbert, Co-founder of Home One Cafe talk about their social impact, working with young people and preparing them for the work place at the same time as reducing their environmental impact!
ABOVE: Hear from Chef Robbie about the amazing waste saving initiatives at Ennie Meanie Cafe south east of Melbourne. Known for creative food, great service and strong community connections. This cafe investigated some innovative ideas during lockdown especially localising their supply chains. Milk comes from only 36 kms away, coffee grounds go to local farmer for composting and all food scraps go to local community garden. As part of their circular thinking, their cooking oil is reused by local company to create boiofuel and all their food and drink items are sold to their customers in reusable packaging.
