BeanScene – June 2023
English | 106 pages | pdf | 66.43 MB
Welcome at BeanScene Magazine June 2023 issue
Twelve years ago, I visited Jaspers Coffee in Collingwood. Co- Founder Wells Trenfield was one of the first people I recall interviewing for BeanScene. I was a young ‘20-something-year
old’. I was excited to visit one of my first roasteries, and with camera and notepad in hand, I set out to interview Wells about his sustainable initiatives and partnership with Fairtrade. He greeted me with his characteristic smile and long beard, but it was he who did the questioning, asking what I knew about Fairtrade and Fairtrade Premiums.
I never forgot it. He was deeply passionate about creating a sustainable business and advocating for the farmers he represented. Over the years, I would see Wells at international events like Re:Co and the SCA expo. He was always hungry for knowledge. When I returned to the roastery last month, some things had changed. We had both aged, the business had evolved, and Wells’ son Jasper was present and taking on a more active position in the company. What hadn’t changed, was Wells’ quick-fire questioning, his passion for producers, and making decisions guided by the principles of sustainability.
This year, we are proud to see nine companies join our sustainable feature to share their own stories and progress of sustainable initiatives, from packaging and recycling programs to plant-based initiatives, traceability efforts, and greater emphasis on producer living income. They are terrific examples of active game-changers, but it begs the
question, what are you doing? What can you or your business do to make a more sustainable choice? The action may be small, but collectively, the impact can be huge. We all need to play our part if Australia has any hope of significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement. One company that hasn’t shied away from the challenge is Veneziano Coffee Roasters, this edition’s cover story company. The Melbourne-based roaster first employed a full-time sustainability manager, then became carbon neutral and undertook B Corp Certification. It’s a display of sustainable leadership and one I hope many others will follow.
As Veneziano explains, achieving B Corp status was a positive experience that helped clarify that it was already above the benchmark in some areas, but has also provided a boost to strive for more. For there is no real finish line when it comes to environmental change, only consequences that will impact our livelihoods, and those in generations to come if we don’t put our best foot forward, now.
SARAH BAKER
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