At Fish River Roasters, we believe that great coffee shouldn't come at the expense of the planet. We do our best to run a sustainable business and minimise our impact on the environment. Here’s a look at some of the things - big and small - we’re doing to make Fish River Roasters a more environmentally responsible business.
Powered by the sun
Three years ago, we installed 36 kW of solar panels on our roastery roof. These panels generate more electricity than we use each year, by several thousand kilowatt-hours! While we still draw some power on cloudy days and at night, this move has significantly reduced both our electricity bill and our environmental load.
Owner Peter Harrison trying not to look too scared while checking out our solar panels.
Composting coffee chaff
Every roast generates coffee chaff - a light, fluffy by-product of the roasting process. We fill two wheelie bins of the stuff each week. Rather than sending it to landfill, we send it to a green waste composting program, where it gets turned into compost.
Giving hessian sacks a second life
At the end of each roasting week, we’re left with stacks of hessian coffee sacks. Instead of discarding them, we find creative homes for them, including:
- Reusable carry bags
- Dog beds and cushions
- Tree guards and erosion control
- Potato sacks and school sack races
- Stage props in plays
- And even dingo feeding enrichment (seriously - hiding a chicken carcass in a coffee bag is enrichment, who knew?)
Recycling everything we can
We're committed to recycling as much as possible in our daily operations:
Cardboard packaging goes into two large skips every week.
Printer cartridges, milk cartons, and soft plastics are sorted into the correct recycling streams through our local council. No bit of waste is too small to think about.
Better takeaway cups
Our new takeaway cups are certified compostable, made in Australia, and sourced from sustainable materials. So whether you’re grabbing a quick brew or serving customers, you can feel a little better about the impact.
Lighting the way efficiently
We’ve swapped all our lighting - including the high-bay warehouse lights - to LEDs, which are far more energy-efficient. This change has helped us move even closer to energy self-sufficiency.
Smarter gas use
Most commercial coffee roasters use gas to roast beans. While we can’t eliminate gas use entirely, we’ve fine-tuned our roasting process to reduce the amount we use between roasts, resulting in a 10% drop in gas consumption.
Always improving
We know sustainability is a journey, not a destination. There’s always more we can do to reduce our footprint and operate more responsibly. We're proud of what we’ve achieved so far - and we’re excited to share new initiatives with you as they roll out.
Thanks for supporting a roastery that cares about the planet, one cup at a time.
