Our Commitment to Sustainability
Sustainability guides every decision we make, recognising the pivotal role businesses play in shaping the future of our planet.
This commitment drives us to continually explore ways to minimise our environmental impact, pushing our boundaries and challenging ourselves to drive change in our industry as sustainable coffee roasters and cafes.
Actions speak louder than words, so let’s take a look at what we’ve done so far…
Composting
We compost all the food scraps (egg shells, vege and fruit skins) and ground coffee, turning them into soil to grow edible plants and beautiful ornamentals. We also shred and compost all paper from bills and invoices. It’s a win-win situation and you can appreciate the results at our Stratford cafe.
Waste Reduction
In 2021 we reduced the size of all our general waste bins to a household size bin! Yes, our coffee shops create as little waste as the average family. This was a big achievement for our whole team and great motivation to keep on going. In 2025, we managed to reduce the pickup schedule by skipping some weeks.
Bottle Lids
We have been saving all our plastic bottle lids to repurpose them by donating them to Precious Plastic FNQ.
EcoBiz Star Partner
Both our stores have received the EcoBiz best practice Star Partnership (Energy/Waste) for all the measures we have implemented to our sustainability outcomes. But achieving this status is not enough for us, we have an action plan to improve further and compare our efforts on a yearly basis.
Cafe Smart
Drink coffee, do good. Since one of our customers recommended CafeSmart in 2013, we have been helping StreetSmart fundraise to help the homeless in Australia. Contributing as Roaster Partners and Participating Cafes, we have fundraised thousands of dollars with the help of our amazing customers.
Compostable Coffee Cups
The disposable cup is part of our culture and its usage is slowing down insignificantly. That’s why we are more optimistic about the quality and compostability of the cup than the possibility of zero demand for it. We have been using BioCup since 2013 and asking Cairns Council to hurry up and create composting facilities.
Recyclable Coffee Bags
This has been at the top of our bucket list. For many years our bags were foil lined and ended up in landfill. Our latest bags carry the RedCycle logo which is a soft plastic recycling program that unfortunately has been put on hold. There are, however, other companies working hard to find a solution; hope is in sight. Specifically made for coffee, the valve doesn’t need to be removed before recycling!
Ecofriendly Packaging
The packaging we use at the cafes must be eco-friendly, made of paper or cardboard and as minimal as possible. We don’t allow plastic packaging or bags in our cafes unless there is no other option. Our business is evolving with the packaging industry. We save and reuse the bubble wrap from the products we purchase, for the online orders received through our web.
Making Better Decisions
We are always looking at the products we currently use and could be replaced for a more sustainable option. For example, our cafes went from using black bin liners to smaller biodegradable ones, from chux to washable superior biodegradable bamboo wipes. Little steps, big impact.
Reuse, Reduce, Recycle
Everything we can reuse or repurpose, we do. Examples of this are our hessian bags, used in gardening, presents, as weed mats and arts and crafts. The cacao growers reuse our grain-pro plastic bags. Cardboard boxes make great barriers for weeds in the garden and save staff and customers money when moving houses.
Reusable Products
On our shelves, we offer reusable products such as stainless steel straws, reusable coffee cups, stainless steel and fabric filters for various brewing methods. We don’t stock single use products like individually packed products, tea bags or coffee pods that create so much waste.