A core value of Marvell Street is sustainability, we care deeply about the impact our operations have on our environment and those who grow the coffee we roast. Never before has our industry been faced with so many challenges, from climate change, coffee grower exploitation, dependence on harmful materials to transport and store coffee, and the single use disposable takeaway cafe culture, it seems all aspects of our industry are having to find new ways to operate that empower people, and help our environment.
OUR COMMITMENT TO WASTE
As a company staffed by a bunch of keen surfers, hikers, and general outdoor lovers we are continually looking at ways we can close the waste loop by recycling, reusing and reducing our waste.
We have worked closely with Eco Barista over the last 7 years, choosing them as our primary take away cup and packaging supplier for our wholesale customers due to their innovative approach to packaging and sustainability. Through this partnership we helped developed a coffee bag that can enter the soft plastics recycling stream.
The Eco Barista coffee bags use soft plastics (polyethylene) and have a removable valve, so they are able to keep coffee as fresh as the traditional foil lined bags yet be fully recyclable. We worked hard with Eco Barista testing and developing this product and are immensely proud of the resulting bag, we feel it is a shining example of a collaboration of two businesses who’s shared values created something positive.
Our coffee bucket program is now in use for over half our wholesale accounts, we have even expanded it to several of our Sydney accounts. The concept is simple, we deliver our coffee in reusable food safe 5kg tubs, collecting the empties each delivery. Because each bucket is made of tough recyclable plastic they have a lifespan of at least 150 deliveries, this means over the course of a year they save on average six hundred 1kg coffee bags from going to landfill or the recycling plant.
We reuse the packaging our green coffee is shipped in by turning it back into packaging for our retail customers. From the cardboard boxes to the grainpro plastic bags, it all gets reused, repurposed and hand packed with love.
Our roastery in Byron Bay is surrounded by some incredible organic farms, we have established relationships with several of them so our organic coffee waste can be used for composting rather than going in the bin.
Recently we have been busy developing a line of coffee tools for baristas that use organic materials from our coffee production and our recycled coffee bags. Whilst still very much in development we are hoping to have a line of high quality, highly functional tools made entirely from recycled products that can then themselves be recycled and reused.
OUR COMMITMENT TO COFFEE PRODUCERS
Forming a strong relationship with a coffee importer who we could trust was doing the best for the farmer was crucial in how we select the coffees we do, which is why we have formed such a solid partnership with Caravela. All the coffees we purchase through Caravela are part of their certified PECA program. PECA empowers growers by teaching them better farming practices which help them increase their productivity and crop quality, which in turn increases their profitability and helps improve their communities.
It has never been harder for coffee farmers, they face increasing costs of production, lower yields, more aggressive forms of disease, labour shortages and criminally low prices for their labours. It is important that we do what we can to ensure that farmers are paid a fair price for the hard work that goes into our daily coffee. Working closely with one main importer means we are able to pay a price that reflects the hard work and labour that goes into producing exceptionally high quality coffee.
OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY
When we purchased our Loring Smart roaster we did so with one thing in mind, lowering our carbon footprint without compromising on quality. The Loring Smart Roast is a cutting edge coffee roaster that has been designed to maximise efficiency whilst cutting down on energy use. The single burner convection design roasts the coffee and incinerates the smoke, no external afterburner is needed, which means it uses less fuel and has less environmental impact. We believe this is the best roaster out there, not only because of the accuracy and repeatability of roast it offers but because it was designed to reduce the impact it has on energy consumption and the environment.
COMMITTED TO CARE
We care about the impacts our actions have on our community and the greater community that is mother earth. We believe in doing things with care, love and intentionality, because our planet is not an unlimited resource, and anything we can do as a business or as individuals to reduce our waste, reuse what we can and recycle what we can’t, helps to improve the world little by little.
Grind Wisely,
Cup Honestly,
Brew with Confidence.