5 Things To Consider To Make Your Cafe More Sustainable In 2023
There may be many intentional ideas you associate with your brand and your people, but an important one that you may choose to align with is
Intentionality, purpose, direction. With a mainstream focus on consumption and trends, it’s absolutely integral to go against the grain and learn what we (as individuals, and as brands) actually want to embody. It’s a distinct rebellion—and it’s one that will attract all the right people to you.
Take, for example, the average person who wakes up in the morning craving a freshly brewed cup. Say, there are two cafes in walking distance. One, is cluttered, busy, loud, but their coffee is cheap and fast. The other, is a mindful little commune with organic coffee and quietly decorated spaces.
What cafe the person chooses is not a reflection on the place itself, but instead, it’s a reflection of their values.
So, to attract the customers you want, you have to embody the values they have.
There may be many intentional ideas you associate with your brand and your people, but an important one that you may choose to align with is the sustainability of your cafe.
After all, a study by Capgemini found that “79% of consumers were changing purchase preference based on the social or environmental impact of their purchases”. And not only that, but 77% of executives found that “sustainability leads to increase[s] in customer loyalty”.
With that being said, here are a few ways to make your cafe more sustainable:
1. Choose an energy efficient coffee machine.
There are some incredible coffee machine options that will brew a divine cup, whilst also increasing the energy efficiency of your cafe. One of these options is the beautiful Victoria Arduino Eagle One, partially designed by (the coffee guru himself), James Hoffman.
2. Include more Vegan options in your menu
The second easy switch is to add more plant-based menu items. As customers become more planet conscious and choose to start eating vegetarian or vegan, variety in menu items will keep people coming back and knowing they can count on you for a delicious meal.
3. Use services like ReGround
ReGround is an amazing social enterprise that does collections (think: coffee grounds, soft plastics) and redistributes them to locals for circular use. There may be a similar service in your area if your cafe is not located in Melbourne. But, no matter the company you choose, getting involved with social organisations like these are great to actually make a positive impact, but also to draw more customers with the same values. Take the burger chain Grill'd for example—they do a great job of interweaving charity with hospitality by allowing customers to select a cause and donating a percentage of their order.
4. Use tools that help avoiding coffee and milk wastage
By using tools like dosage monitoring grinders that only dispense beans for a single cup, you can minimise your cafe's environmental impact. Also, by purchasing more alternative milks with a longer shelf life, you are less likely to end up with milk wastage over time.
5. Ditch single use
Ah yes, the age old tale. But, by reducing the cost of a coffee for people with Keep Cups, or by switching over to biodegradable bamboo takeaway containers, you can reduce the amount of plastic waste.
