BY KATHRYN STEANE

Conscious Consumers continues to take the country by storm, having recently arrived in the Waikato.

More than 40 cafe owners, suppliers and other people showed their support for the project by attending a launch party at Hamilton’s Zinc Café & Eatery; where they enjoyed sustainable food served in eco-friendly packaging.

As well as providing a venue for the launch, Zinc Café & Eatery is one of several businesses in the area that have already signed up to the programme. Others include Momento Espresso Aotearoa (which has cafes throughout Hamilton), Suburbia Café & Restaurant and The River Kitchen.

Owner of The River Kitchen, Lisa Quarrie says she is over-the-moon that Conscious Consumers has come to the Waikato. “It re-enforces what we already do and lets our customers know what choices we’ve already made such as sourcing the best-possible seasonal produce, including free-range eggs and organic milk. It fits with our values of sustainability and [is] just common sense really.”

A number of local suppliers have also gotten onboard with the project, including Friendlypak (which provided the eco-friendly packaging for the launch); Kaiwhenua Organics (suppliers of organic vegetables); Chemical Free Cleaning (providers of eco-friendly cleaners); and Green Valley Diaries (suppliers of organic milk).

Lou Belle, one of two coordinators for Conscious Consumers Waikato, has high hopes for the programme. “Our target is to have 25 cafes onboard over the next six months. [But] the project is not just restricted to Hamilton – as part of our campaign, we have spoken to cafe owners in Raglan and Cambridge and there are plans to roll-out region-wide, as far north as Pukekohe, down south to Taupo and north-east to the Coromandel.”

However, just a month into the project, Belle already feels a sense of achievement. “Walking around town and seeing the scout-inspired badge window stickers on some of Hamilton's most popular cafe spots definitely has a feel-good factor about it.”

For more information on Conscious Consumer, including how to join, visit www.consciousconsumers.org.nz.