Black Shag - Championing sustainability with every pour

When Sylvie Chasteau and Dion Milanesi first started the café they wanted to do it in a way that left as soft a footprint as possible. So, they designed their business from the ground up with that in mind.

A lot of those key decisions were to do with reducing waste going to landfill.

Early on, the Black Shag team also began making their own alternative milks and sought out a local milk supplier, further reducing their environmental footprint.

When the country went into lockdown in 2020, they decided they would pursue their interest in gardening and started a project in the back garden. The idea was simple – to grow produce for the café that would reduce their costs going out, something that was essential during that time.

“COVID made us deconstruct everything we were doing and how we were spending our labour and other budgets. The interesting thing that came from the garden was the opportunity that collaboration presents. At one stage we got a Government subsidy for someone to take on the garden, which enabled us to make heaps of progress.”

Sylvie says having a garden has become a great way of connecting with people.

“Our social media presence has been enhanced by showcasing our sustainable way of running a business. So we are using that as a tool to build that community more and show the benefits that come with it.”

In the last few years, Environment Southland has also taken steps to understand the impacts of climate change and how, together as a community, we can respond.

Environment Southland climate change sub-committee chair Lyndal Ludlow says the council has made good progress, signaled intent, initiated conversations with neighboring councils and continues to focus on working with others to understand and tackle Southland’s challenges.

“With more businesses like the Black Shag making these sorts of environmental decisions, our region will strengthen its resilience and be better able to adapt to our changing climate.”

Putting in the effort to reduce their impact seemed obvious to Sylvie.

“If you have a choice between a low impact way of operating and the opposite, then the decision was a no brainer. Why wouldn’t we?”

“The biggest challenge is the work that needs to go into it. But what we have tried to prove is that it is not as much work as you may think and you can become more profitable. The beds in the garden do take a lot of time – but the other actions we take save time, so it balances out in a roundabout way."