Specialist London caterer, Vacherin, has retained its Three-Star Food Made Good rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) – having improved its score compared with last year’s assessment. Vacherin earned it for the first time at its first attempt last year, and sits in the top 15% of all SRA London members.
Known in the hospitality industry as the ‘Michelin Stars of Sustainability’, the rating is recognised as the benchmark for assessing all aspects of a business’ sustainability practises. The SRA awards One, Two or Three stars, depending on how businesses score in three areas: Sourcing, Society and Environment.
Vacherin has made sustainability a core commitment since its formation in 2002 and has matched 13 years’ of unbroken financial growth by deepening this commitment year after year. Record commercial success in 2015 saw turnover exceed £15 million and its 350 staff serve almost 3 million customers, yet sustainability landmarks included: 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
Zoe Stennett-Cox, Vacherin’s Lead for Sustainability and CSR: “Vacherin has developed diverse, compelling and effective initiatives that work very well in our business – from annual Life Plan discussions for all staff to a sustainable fish policy; and from healthy eating recipes and training to waste reduction tools.
“We invest in three areas: food; environment; and community. Some examples include: launching the ‘Nutritious and Delicious’ healthy eating range, ‘Red Meat Free Mondays’, and the ‘I’mPerfect’ fruit and vegetables initiatives. Partnerships with coffee-recycler Bio-Bean and volunteering projects with local charities Deptford Reach and Luminary Bakery are three further examples.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have retained the top rating and recorded an improved score, but we’re not about to rest on our laurels. We aim to take our sustainability to greater levels in the future. We have just been shortlisted for the CSR category of the Foodservice Cateys too, so our fingers are crossed.”
Ylva Johannesson of the SRA commented, “Vacherin is an excellent example of a caterer that understands what its customers want and what concerns them. It has implemented a number of excellent initiatives to encourage healthy eating and by using cosmetically imperfect fruit and veg is helping tackle one of the biggest issues in the industry. We congratulate Vacherin on its exceptional performance.”