💚 Introducing Dante’s Coffee Roasters 💚

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with John who locally roasts some of our coffee beans…

Dante’s Coffee Roasters is a small family-owned business but packs a considerable punch with the quality of our Award-winning coffee blends, single origins, organic and decaffeinated coffees.

We are located in Wangara and known all over Perth for our traditionally roasted coffees. The executive team at Dante’s Coffee Roasters is made up of three consummate coffee and business professionals. 

Dom is our coffee guru and Angela and John manage the business side of things. The Executive team is supported by the most amazing group of people you could ever meet! From the talented Baristas in the Roastery Cafe to our team of Roasters, Sales, and Customer Support staff.

Sustainability is the life-blood of the coffee roasting industry. Coffee Roasting is both an art and science, and it is important to ensure our coffee supply and roasting processes are sustainable. 

There are several ways we minimize our carbon footprint in what otherwise might be a smoky, wasteful, and high emission industry. We reduce our energy usage wherever possible, utilizing natural gas rather than electricity and roasting with state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly equipment which delivers 30% less gas usage compared to other roasting equipment. Our Roasting plant is designed to recycle and recirculate hot air through the roasting drum and then pass the used air after several cycles through a built-in afterburner to minimize emissions and produce a smokeless roasting process. Our efficient roasting process produces very little waste and produces coffee for our customers and their customers to enjoy. However, two types of solid waste that no coffee roaster can avoid is chaff (from roasting) and the hessian coffee sacks that arrive from across the world containing their raw coffee beans. Fortunately, we have a network of people and businesses who gladly receive these products and recycle them and turn them into all sorts of things.

Chaff makes a fine addition to garden compost, adding texture as well as nitrogen. The hessian coffee sacks are also ideal for various applications in farming, fishing, and home use. We are always amazed at the creativity of our collectors. From school sack races to hauling garden waste and used for pets, zoos, and even professional fishing competitions! 

The folk at Wasteless Pantry are great to work with and share our passion for the environment and sustainable activity. When Wasteless Pantry approached us to provide them with freshly roasted coffee, but without the wastage of coffee packaging, we had just the right solution! Reuseable food-grade drums are used to transport the coffee from our Roastery directly to the Wasteless Pantry store, and empty drums are brought back to the Roastery for sanitation and reuse.

One waste-free tip?

Did you know that used coffee grounds from your local cafe can be used in your garden compost and as a soil conditioner? The pucks of used coffee grounds provide acidity to your soil making citrus trees, especially, very happy. You should consider making friends with your local barista for an endless supply of coffee grounds 😊

💚 Introducing Whittingtons 💚⠀

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Michael and his team who supplies the most flavoursome herbs and spices…⠀

Whittingtons have been blending fine herbs and spices in Perth Western Australia since 1975. We have our own farm at Badgingarra and source from other local farmers and suppliers in the Wheatbelt, coriander, mustard seed, some oregano, and salt. Products not locally available are sourced from around the world via a major importer.

We have had a strong working relationship with Wasteless Pantry for over six years. We both share a similar approach to being responsible citizens in the communities we serve and have a strong focus on looking after our customers, our suppliers, and our employees. Some of the initiatives we have undertaken as a responsible business include:

🌱To reduce our carbon footprint we have installed 23KVA of solar power at our Osborne Park facility.

🌱We are installing 20KVA of solar and wind electricity generation at our farm.

🌱We have purchased an electric delivery vehicle to minimize our transport emissions.

🌱To minimize food miles we source wherever possible from local farmers and plan to test grow some of our herbs on our own farm. (Waddi Farm, Koonah Road, Badgingarra.)

🌱We have reviewed our packaging and supply the vast amount of our products in recyclable containers of glass and PET. We are reviewing options to replace our PE packaging for bulk products with options that rapidly decompose.

🌱To minimize production spoilage and factory waste we have active programs to reuse materials.

🌱Out of Code products that are safe to consume are donated to food banks.

🌱We have a commitment to support people with disabilities. Two of our full-time employees meet these criteria. Up to twice a week, senior students from the Gladys Newton School in Balga gain work experience at Whittingtons. These are special needs children we have been helping since 2015. Prior to that date, we worked with Rocky Bay and the Disabled Workers Union lending financial support to people with disabilities.

💚 Introducing Mette is Baking 💚⠀

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Mette who creates our scrumptious gluten-free Nordic Crackers…⠀

I’m Danish and I have lived in 6 countries. I am an Engineer and worked in the oil and gas industry for 25 years. I’m married to David, have 2 bonus kids and 2 granddaughters. I started Mette is Baking in 2015 and we bake Australia’s best crackers in my home-based commercial bakery (also know as the cracker bakery). Mette is Baking’s business model reduces waste and we only bake to order. At the end of a baking week, we have nothing left on the shelves to be disposed of. No crackers are wasted that way.

🌱 We have solar panels to power the bakery to reduce energy consumption from fossil fuel

🌱 All the lights in the bakery are using energy-efficient LED light globes

🌱 Water heating is turned on only for the hours required and we minimize water use by filling the dishwasher and washing machine fully before use

🌱 Bulk orders of Nordic Crackers are packed in re-sealable containers and we operate a container return system. When Wasteless Pantry gets a delivery we get the empty containers back to the bakery for cleaning and to be used again for the next order we pack. Some of these containers have been in rotation for 3-4 years now

🌱 We use Driving planning software to optimizing the delivery route. By spending less time on the road we keep our drivers safer, reduce fuel consumption, vehicle wear and tear, which reduces pollution and carbon emissions. Mette is Baking’s delivery vehicle is fuel-efficient and has all the latest safety technology to provide maximum protection for our delivery drivers.

I work with Wasteless Pantry because their customers requested that our Nordic Crackers be available in their store. Customer demand is a strong motivator.

One waste-free tip you have?

Separate out your waste. We separate the soft plastic and print cartridges for recycling. Bottle tops and cardboard tubes are donated for craft projects. Used hairnets are donated to the ‘Rare Fruit Club’ to protect ripening fruit from fruit flies.

💚 Introducing Coastal Crunch 💚⠀

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Tim who makes our delicious protein crunch granolas…⠀

I’m a chef by trade, trained in Perth restaurants, and post apprenticeship I did some travel and worked in the UK, France, and the US for a few years. Coastal Crunch originally started as a passion project and has slowly morphed into a full-time thing. We are interested in sustainability because it makes sense to try and reduce the impact and footprint of our business to help look after our little corner of the world. I believe that if we all look after our little bit then the bigger picture will look after itself.

We have converted most of our retail product packaging to recyclable materials. Our main retail granola packaging is completely recyclable and in the ready-to-eat space, our products are packaged in locally produced PET plastic that is able to be put into the yellow bin recycling. In the kitchen, we no longer use traditional plastic wrap and have converted a lot of our wholesale customers from buying 1kg bags into reusing 5kg or 10kg drums. We pick up the empties and reuse the drums which closes the loop and ensure we get many uses out of each drum. Lastly, over the past 12 months, we have been purchasing carbon credits through a registered program, to try and offset the carbon emissions of our business. Here is a link https://buff.ly/3kS9q1x that shows some of the carbon credits we have ‘retired’.

We work with Wasteless Pantry because we both share a desire to reduce waste and supply high-quality products to our local customers. We focus our business on WA and local retailers and Wasteless Pantry is a well-known outlet for shoppers that buy our type of products.

One waste-free tip you have? Buy secondhand or give something you already have a refresh. You will get enjoyment from the creative process as well as the enjoyment of something new at the same time. My partner has reinvigorated our home by breathing new life into some old furniture that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. It’s also much cheaper than buying something brand new!

💚 Introducing EnviroBren 💚

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Brenda who makes our vegan scoopable deodorant…

My name is Brenda Wilkinson (Bren for short) and I have been interested in sustainability (environmental and animals) my whole life. I’ve always loved nature and animals and HATED waste of any kind. When I was in my teens I used to make my own face masks with clays or strawberries and honey because I didn’t want to buy stuff that I didn’t have to. Up until my kids were teens I sewed all of their clothes (and mine) from scratch so that I wouldn’t contribute to slave labour. Their school got to use leftover fabric scraps for art/craft projects.

I started my EnviroBren business in 2014 to give people the choice to buy reusable, eco-aware products. My aim was to help my customers make good environmental choices with their purchases. I also started making my VDeo Vegan Deodorant fragrances in 2014. Unfortunately for the first few years my packaging supplier only had plastic lids which didn’t make me feel good. However, when I found out that I could source recyclable aluminium lids I quickly replaced the plastic lids for all subsequent orders. Reusable/recyclable glass jars and the aluminium lids made my VDeos more eco-aware. I love doing as much as I can to lessen my plastic footprint on the environment and the animals we share it with. Hence when Wasteless Pantry asked if I could make bulk amounts of my VDeo fragrances in larger sized glass jars, I jumped at the chance. I love the fact that Wasteless Pantry customers can bring their own containers and refill them with as much natural deodorant as they want when they want. In fact, I love the Wasteless Pantry ethos of sustainability and encouraging their customers to reuse their containers to refill whatever food, personal care, household cleaning products they want. I can’t begin to imagine how much single-use/plastic Wasteless Pantry and their customers have prevented from going into landfill, the ocean and waterways.

One waste-free tip?

Try to incorporate the 7 R’s into your life: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Rot

💚 Introducing Onya 💚⠀

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Hayley who creates some outstanding reusables that you always want to have onya…⠀

I don’t think anyone can really afford to not be interested in sustainability! It shouldn’t be something we actively have to think of, I feel it should really just be a way of life. It is about looking at all the 1 percenters and trying to choose the most ethical and sustainable option. I think my introduction to living lightly on the planet began with my parents who are amazing “makers”! Dad built most of our houses from new and salvaged items and mum made a lot of our clothes as well as baking our own bread.

Since 2004, Onya’s purpose is to help individuals reduce single-use plastic in their lives by providing them with long-lasting alternatives. Many of our products are made from waste such as rPET (recycled drink bottles) and using this material has allowed us to dramatically decrease our carbon footprint. As an example, it only takes 85 uses of our rPET shopping bags until they are carbon neutral. After that, they become carbon negative (actively reducing carbon with every use). As we make our bags to last many of our customers will use these bags for anywhere from 5-10 years or more, at which time we have a take-back program to recycle old Onya products to ensure none of our products ever need to go to landfill. In the past 5 years alone we have diverted 165 tonnes of single-use plastic drink bottles from landfill.

The WP ethos is so in line with our own at Onya! We are both actively involved in helping people reduce waste in their lives and there is a beautiful synergy in Onya providing the vessel that customers can then fill at WP 😊

One waste-free tip? Don’t be overwhelmed when trying to reduce waste. Find your biggest area of waste and figure out ways you can reduce that waste. Once you have mastered that, look at other areas you can improve one at a time. Waste reduction is not about perfection, but more about action. Before you know it, reducing waste is just a way of life!

💚 Introducing Vasse Valley Hemp 💚

We thought you might like to get to know some of our amazing local suppliers, so we had a chat with Bronwyn who grows our hemp seed in Margaret River…

Vasse Valley Hemp Farm is WA’s leading hemp foods business and we’ve been growing hemp since 2015. We are committed to sustainable farming and educating the community about the many benefits of hemp and the environment. We are happy to announce that the WA State Government has recently awarded us an Environmental Stewardship grant to replant sections of our farm to encourage biodiversity and capture carbon!

Some of the ways we have incorporated sustainable practices into our farming:

🌱 In 2020 we made the switch to solar energy and are proud to say we are a 100% solar run business.

🌱 The water used for on-site manufacturing is from rainwater captured by our roof and pumped using solar energy.

🌱 In 2020 we also made the bold move to a paperless invoicing and filing system and, where we do use paper, it is all 100% recycled wherever possible.

🌱 To further support the environment around the property we have planted natives and practice spray-free farming to encourage a greater diversity of wildlife.

There is even more info on our blog: https://www.vassevalley.com.au/environmental-benefits-of-hemp/

We love Wasteless Pantry’s values and commitment to reducing humanity’s environmental footprint.

One waste-free tip? We’ve replaced all liquid soaps in our house with natural, hand-made hemp soap. This has significantly reduced our plastic footprint.