Auckland’s Cafe-Lovers Can Now Choose ‘Consciously’

An award-winning community initiative aimed at making it easier for the public to support cafes committed to environmentally and socially responsible business practices will be launched in Auckland tomorrow.

The Conscious Consumers cafe project is a not-for-profit initiative that has been successfully operating in Wellington for the past year. Auckland Council is supporting its launch in Auckland together with 18 cafes in central city suburbs that have already signed up to be part of the project.

Conscious Consumers awards cafes with Scout-inspired badges to recognise a cafe’s commitment to sustainable business practices. Badges are displayed in the cafe’s front window to communicate to customers the range of practices employed - such as using certified fairtrade coffee, free-range eggs, composting foodscraps or using seasonal produce. Cafes are profiled on the Conscious Consumers website where suppliers of relevant sustainable goods or services are also listed: www.consciousconsumers.org.nz.

National Co-ordinator Ben Gleisner says the Conscious Consumers cafe project empowers customers to make informed purchasing choices and incentivises cafes to commit to waste minimisation and other business practices with positive outcomes.

“We believe the nine cafe-specific business practices promoted by Conscious Consumers make good business sense, respect people and the environment, and reflect current consumer preferences.

“Ultimately it’s about enabling a connection between conscious consumers and like-minded cafes in the community. As we’ve already shown in Wellington it successfully demonstrates how ethical choices can be good for business, ” he says of the project, which recently won a 2011 Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Award and is set to expand into the Waikato region in August.

Auckland Co-ordinator Nadine Wakim says she is excited about establishing Conscious Consumers in Auckland with support from Auckland Council, business associations, suppliers, local cafes and a growing base of ‘conscious’ consumers.

“Based on the excellent response we’ve had from cafes that have joined the project so far we’re certainly off to a great start and I look forward to expanding the number of ‘conscious’ cafes in the region and promoting them to Aucklanders and visitors to our city!”

Angie Redfern, of Ripe Deli in Ponsonby, was one of the first cafe owners in Auckland to sign up to Conscious Consumers. “It’s great firstly for a business to be acknowledged for its environmental efforts, as often businesses are taking a risk with increased costs so they can follow their values, and secondly, it increases awareness for everyone. So goodness all round!” she says.

The first group of 'conscious' cafes in Auckland include:

• Roasted Addiqtion in Kingsland

• Little Hero in Point Chevalier

• Milk Cafe and Kokako in Parnell

• Cosset in Mt Albert

• Altezano Espresso Bars in Newmarket, CBD and Eden Terrance

• The Library Cafe and Cafe Tran in Onehunga

• Federal & Wolfe and Remedy Coffee in Auckland’s CBD

• Zest Cafe in Newton

• Queenies Lunchroom in Freemans Bay

• Ripe Deli and Monterey Coffee Lounge in Grey Lynn

• Bloom Cafe and Function Rooms at Eden Garden, Epsom

• Garnet Station in Westmere

Conscious Consumers will be officially launched in Auckland at the Auckland Art Gallery’s New Gallery at 5.30pm on Tuesday 28 June with actor Robyn Malcolm as MC.

ENDS

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