At Gelato Messina, we’re quite aware of the impact poor sustainability practices can have on the environment so we're changing the way we do things around here, for the better.
For some time now we’ve been talking about the best way to minimise our environmental footprint and make our business more sustainable. We often field enquiries from our customers about the subject - everything from packaging and production, to food wastage and donations. And although it may feel like we are moving a bit slowly sometimes, we have been toiling away in the background and have a few exciting developments to announce. Here’s where we’re at..
You’ll notice all of our gelato cups in store are stamped Truly Eco and are fully recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. They’re made entirely from paper with an aqueous water based coating.
read MoreYou’ll now have the option to take your gelato home in our new fully recyclable cardboard takeaway tub. If you’re travelling for longer and need to use styrofoam, give it a rinse and bring it back to our stores when you’re done – we’ll send it back to the supplier for recycling.
read MoreWe now have our own ‘front of house’ recycling bins in all stores. You can deposit the following items in here and we will recycle them.
read MoreAs a company we have very little wastage. In the event we have a flavour which doesn’t sell too well we often give away to our charity partners such as OzHarvest. If we’ve baked too much of something, we can create new flavours or use it at special events.
read MoreLet’s start with the one we get asked about most frequently… why can’t our customers use re-usable tubs and cups? The truth is it’s a slightly grey area. We love the idea of it of course, but we simply don’t have the ability to make the whole process 100% risk free. The Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety and General Requirements) states:
9. Food Packaging
A food business must, when packaging food –
(a) only use packaging material that is fit for its intended use;
(b) only use material that is not likely to cause food contamination; and
(c) ensure that there is no likelihood that the food may become contaminated during the packaging process.
In order to ensure that re-usable packaging is not contaminated, we would need to wash and sterilise each container every time it comes into our stores. This is unfortunately not feasible and it’s the main reason we do not accept any reusable containers at present. The other more minor issue is standardising volume of takeaway tubs. It would be almost impossible to know.
But it’s not all bad news…read on.
We now have two types of tub to choose from for our takeaway gelato. We offer a fully recyclable cardboard takeaway tub which can be washed and popped straight in your recycling bin at home - it has slightly less insulation (approx. 15 mins from store to freezer), but you can bring a cooler bag for some extra travel time. We also have our standard styrofoam containers, which have a longer travel time and can be washed and returned to your closest store once you're done. Our supplier turns the used styrofoam tubs into General Purpose Polystyrene which is used in injection moulding to form shape moulded products such as refrigerator trays and boxes, toys and novelties, cosmetic packs, costume jewellery, light diffusers, etc.
You’ll notice all of our gelato cups in store are stamped Truly Eco and are fully recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. They’re made entirely from paper with an aqueous water based coating, making them water resistant to the gelato as it melts. Once you’ve finished, give your cup a rinse and pop it in the recycling or compost bin.The most environmentally friendly and waste-free way to eat your gelato is to order a cone — and it’s also delicious.
We now have our own ‘front of house’ recycling bins in all stores. You can deposit the following items in here and we will recycle them for you:
- Spoons
- Straws
- Water & milkshake cups
- Napkins
- Wooden stirrers
- Messina Print cardboard boxes
As a company we have very little wastage. In the event we have a flavour which doesn’t sell too well we often give away to our charity partners such as OzHarvest. If we’ve baked too much of something, we can create new flavours or use it at special events. There’s always somewhere we can use it.
Besides which we have large -20 degree freezers which means we can freeze and store anything unused until we’re ready to use it. As a company, we are always on the hunt for the best quality produce, which does sometimes mean importing ingredients from overseas.
As a company, we are investing in producing our own ingredients here in Australia. We have our own dairy farm in Numurkah, VIC and our own hazelnut farm in Seymour, VIC.
In 2017 we invested in the dairy farm so we could supply our own milk for our gelato. Our 400+ herd of pasture fed jersey cows produce a beautifully creamy milk which we use in all our gelato. It's pasteurised on the farm, and sent to Sydney to be turned into gelato. We run the farms using sustainable and organic practices although we are not certified so.
In a few years time we hope to harvest enough of our own hazelnuts to make our own paste. We currently import hazelnuts from Cortemilia, Italy, so by growing our own we aim to reduce our transport carbon footprint.
At Gelato Messina our job is to make people happy. Yes we make amazing gelato with the very best, real ingredients. And yes our gelato cakes are weird and wonderful, but it’s all in the name of putting a smile on someone’s face.
