Leading independent London caterer, Vacherin has coupled record sales levels with significant improvements in the impact it makes environmentally, economically and to society, according to the company’s newest sustainability and CSR report.
The 2nd edition of the annual Vacherin Cares Report, published this week, shows that Vacherin has matched 13 years of unbroken financial growth with a deepening commitment to sustainability.
Record commercial success last year has seen turnover exceed £15m for the first time and its near 350 staff serve almost 3 million customers, yet sustainability landmarks include:
• over 1,500kg of coffee grounds and 10,000 litres of rapeseed oil converted to biofuel;
• over 3,000kg of I’mPerfect cosmetically rejected fruit and vegetables served, and
• 4,700g of salt, 15,000g of saturated fat and 21,000g of sugar removed from its meals when compared to high street brands.
These outcomes are the result of wide-ranging, long-term and increasing investments in three areas: food; environment; and community. Examples of innovation in these areas include: launching the ‘Nutritious and Delicious’ healthy eating range, ‘Red Meat Free Mondays’, and the ‘I’mPerfect’ fruit and vegetables initiatives. The ‘Red Meat Free’ activity alone reduced Green House Gas emissions by 72 tonnes.
Partnerships with coffee-recycler Bio-Bean, and volunteering projects with local charities Deptford Reach and Luminary Bakery, are further examples of innovation. Vacherin’s community volunteering programme saw employees donate almost 250 hours to social enterprises.
As a result, Vacherin has gathered a string of awards in the last 12 months including: a Sustainable Restaurant Association Three Star rating; an Edie Sustainability Leaders Award; a Good Egg Award; and CSR awards from both the Cateys and Lunch Business.
Vacherin’s Sustainability Lead, Anthony Kingsley, said, “We offer compelling evidence that you need not decouple commercial success from embedded sustainability - in fact actually the opposite is true. Our customers and clients are screaming for more provenance and healthier food - and transparency in how it is made.
'Consumers, employees and businesses want business partners to make CSR commitments. At Vacherin, our passion for responsibly sourced and healthy food has been vital to our success and we want our customers to be just as passionate about food as we are.”