News
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The Weekly Review - Dr Jekyll
12th Oct, 2010
CAFÉ Roy Merrington and Matthew Tuck have come full circle. The pair met while working at Luxe in St Kilda (now the space occupied by Mr Wolf) and came together again at Orange in Prahran. But now they’re back, just around the corner, serving up their own particular brand of conviviality.
The pair named the café Dr Jekyll “because we’re on the corner of Clyde Street and we thought about Dr Jekyll and Mr Clyde; the name just stuck in our heads”, says Tuck. “It was time for us both to make a move, and we saw the ‘for sale’ sign on this place and took three or four serious looks at it. We feel this street is on its way up.”
Full article at http://theweeklyreview.com.au/article-display/A-Place-to-Hyde/3316
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Revolutionary Compostable Packaging for Cold and Hot Roasted Coffee
16th Dec, 2010
Espresso Syndicate, roaster of high quality, organic and fairly traded coffee together with partner Convex Australia - leaders in renewable, bio film technology - are trialling Australia's first renewable and compostable coffee bag "Econic" in the Australian market.
Espresso Syndicate, known for their sustainable business model has partnered with Convex Australia to champion the newest technology in bio plastics, first for their 1kg coffee bags. Specifically developed to meet the increasing demand for renewable coffee packaging – Econic bio-degradable coffee bags provide the ideal sealing and barrier properties for hot roasted coffee and dry foods and are available both with and without vents.
Believed to be the first packaging of its kind in the world, Econic coffee bags are made from three separate bio-degradable films, which are laminated together to provide a high level of
functionality and presentation. The combination of the three films in the Econic packaging
provides optimum moisture and oxygen barrier properties and high seal ability through coffee
granules and other contaminants. All three films have been internationally certified to EN13432
for composting and biodegradability.
An optional bio-degradable vent strip is also available to allow the CO2 gases given off by hot
roasted coffee beans to be vented through the top and bottom bag seals. The vent strip
replaces the traditional non-renewable one-way valve button, and is activated by positive
pressure inside the bag.
Espresso Syndicate Owner Melissa Floreani commented, "In the past 2 years, we've been researching the environmental vs. business performance benefits of various types of coffee packaging and conclude that to be truly sustainable, the bag structure must provide a high barrier to oxygen and moisture; to compete with world’s best practice in coffee packaging. Other options are not particularly sustainable and do not provide a sufficient barrier to retain the coffee’s freshness.
"We looked at other structures and they did not perform well. This new 3-layer structure provides an excellent barrier to oxygen and moisture. These renewable coffee packs provide equivalent barrier properties and shelf appeal to those made from fossil fuels making this an obvious choice for our particular business model.
Convex Australia Managing Director Brent May added “The Econic biodegradable coffee bag needed a real partner and real situation to trial the effectiveness and integrity of its structure. Add to this, we needed to find a likeminded partner who shared our sustainability outlook. With an entire business model built around a ‘Sustainability first’ moniker, it was clear we had found our partner. We currently trialling the 1kg Econic bags for their organic fair-trade coffee blends.”
Ms Floreani concluded "It is no secret that if companies embrace sustainable business practices, they'll benefit directly through reduced costs, less waste and improved corporate profiling. More than that, we're committed to sustainable practice on a personal level. We have applied this thinking to our core products – coffee and take away cups - and our other products such as tea and drinking chocolate all come from companies with a similar ethos to ours. If we're aiding the environment, and communities that live within it, then why wouldn't we change?"
Espresso Syndicate is not only known for providing the market with sustainable coffee but the biodegradable take away cup and lid solutions from PLAnet Cup.
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Premier's Sustainability Awards
06th May, 2011
Espresso Syndicate is proud to be a finalist in the coveted Premier's Sustainability Awards - Small Business Category!
