Ethical & Environmental Statement
We are deeply committed to sustainable, ethical trading and business practices, whether these are through individual efforts or by way of formal accreditation through recognised bodies such as The Fair Trade Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance.
In our procurement, we use sustainable suppliers where possible and continually review our processes and system to look for opportunities to reduce waste and improve the ethical position of the business.
Our Coffee
We take pride in offering specialty-grade coffee that is not traded on the commodity market. This allows us to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their crops and can continue investing in their businesses in a sustainable way. Many of our coffees are also formally accredited through the Fair Trade Foundation or the Rainforest Alliance.
One of our coffees, the Msaada from Tanzania helps raise money for a secondary school in the Msia area. 50p per bag of coffee sold is put in a foundation trust, which is used towards local and school projects.
Machine Maintenance
Our service plans and preventative maintenance approach mean that our coffee-making equipment works hard and with a long service life. By servicing machines regularly (instead of just fixing issues as they arise), we are able to spot developing problems early on and deal with them. This means that machines will last much longer on average and won’t end up in landfill.
Birchalls Tea
Birchall has achieved two remarkable feats by becoming the first tea company worldwide to join the UN’s Climate Neutral Now Initiative and obtain the Carbon Neutral International Standard. This was possible through measuring and offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions and supporting verified reforestation projects. They have significantly reduced the excess and single-use plastic from their supply chain. Their factory, located in Amesbury, Wiltshire, is the UK’s first solar-powered tea production facility with over 460 rooftop solar panels.
Their tea bags are plant-based, making them biodegradable. They offer several Fairtrade teas, and most of their black and leaf teas carry the Rainforest Alliance certification.
Italian Beverage Company
The Italian Beverage Company is dedicated to environmental sustainability and has taken numerous steps to become more sustainable, including implementing a paperless office. They recycle cardboard from their warehouse while packing their boxes and constantly strive to make their packaging more eco-friendly. All their bottles are PET recyclable, and they are transitioning their toppings to reusable pouches.
La Marzocco
La Marzocco generates electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity, producing 100% of its electrical needs – up to 233 kW. They are one of the only traditional machine manufacturers that insulate their boilers. This insulation minimises the amount of energy used by 20%