Cafes
The Green Grind
The Green Grind, a new cafe with an environmentally conscious mandate, opened in Little Italy this week.
Curious to see what this new addition could bring to the already rather caffeinated artery of Toronto that is College Street, I went in to see how the brew stacks up and to talk to owner Becky Dooley about the philosophy behind The Green Grind.
Residing one flight of stairs above street level on the corner of College and Manning, The Green Grind isn't terribly conspicuous. This makes it all the more surprising when you step up to the entrance and realize the wall-of-windows benefit that is gained by this slight elevation.
The brightness of the interior is furthered by all white walls, punctured only by a long, communal table with bright orange chairs and the green-sided espresso machine that acts as a centerpiece. "I couldn't resist it," Dooley later tells me when I ask if the machine was almost too apt of a mascot "it was perfect."
My cohort and I order a mocha and an americano respectively, while I eye the selection of loaves, cookies and brownies (all the food and coffee sold is organic, the coffee is also fair trade) eventually settling on a ginger snap cookie.
Dooley has a Master's in environmental studies and wanted to find a way to marry her background with her love of coffee. She eventually settled on opening a coffee shop so that there could be somewhere in Toronto where "people could enjoy coffee without feeling guilty about the associated waste," she explains. "I think most people want to minimize their impact on the environment and this is one (other) way of making it easy."
She acknowledges that her choice of name has the potential to smack of green-washing to some people, but says that she couldn't let that sway her decision. "I don't want to hide what I'm trying to do," she says, "I just want people to come in and see what we're about for themselves."
In order to maximize the energy efficiency of the cafe they use low energy bulbs that are activated by a daylight sensor. They're also a client of Bullfrog Power.
Besides the usual BYO travel mug discount and recycling bins, The Green Grind also has a compost bin, uses only biodegradable cups and lids and has a policy of only using natural cleaning products in the cafe.
1% of all profits are donated to the environmental charity 1% for the planet, but the most extensive step Dooley has taken is registering The Green Grind for LEED certification. This involves having everything from the paint on the walls to their water consumption scrutinized.
She felt this was an important step to underline her position that The Green Grind isn't a green lip-service operation. "It's not an easy process, but it means having third party validation that we're doing everything we can to be environmentally conscious," she says.
Getting back to the coffee, both the mocha and the americano are extremely good and the ginger snap cookie is deliciously sweet, light, and crunchy.
There are plans to add sandwiches and more to the menu, as soon as a supplier can be found that has good organic options without a massive mark-up, as Dooley wants to keep everything reasonably priced. "I want students to be able to come here as well," she says. Hence the free wi-fi.
The Green Grind is now open, Mon-Fri 7a.m-7p.m, Sat/Sun 8a.m-8p.m.
Photos by Emma McIntyre
Discussion
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It's a lovely space and I'm sure they'll do well - but I would feel just as guilty enjoying a cup of joe here as I would anywhere else.
As far as the green stuff goes, I'm not sure there are any other cafes that in the middle of LEED certification, but maybe I'm wrong.
Owner seemed really nice and passionate about what she's doing. I wish her the best and I'll be back.
I will support this cafe.
To the owners: Is it student friendly, in the sense that I can come and sit down with my laptop for 4 hours? I'll buy at minimum 4 coffees and 2 cookies :)
And James, all those things you mentioned (green shift, donate some revenue, use organic fair trade coffee) are great initiatives.
Just because they aren't necessarily breaking barriers, what they are doing is impressive considering this is only the starting point. With more business and new technology, the environmental aspects will expand.
I can't wait to go check this place out.
Like many, I have my favorite drink with several modifications wherever I go. But when presented with a whole new menu, wasn't sure what I should have. The girls behind the counter were fabulous and helped me to carefully select my drink, which turned out to be great.
The atmosphere was fantastic, I was able to sit down and accomplish much more work than I likely would have been able to in an hour's time elsewhere.
As far as the 'green' aspect goes. Having worked at a company which built an office for 400 that was eventually certified at a LEED gold standard, I know how stringent the guidelines are. It's not an easy feat to accomplish!
In short, I'll be frequenting The Green Grind for years to come.
You can get mild or dark coffee, all organic-fair trade. I didn't ask, but they are definitely both arabica blends (which is good because robusta is generally trash). All that matters is that the mild was smooth, full and warm and the dark had a nice bitter-nutty taste to it (somewhere between Starbucks Pike and Second Cup's Dark).
The combination of free wifi, that huge table with lots of plugs around, up beat atmosphere with the girls laughing behind the counter and chill (not too loud, not too distracting) music the space was great to pound out some work.
Prices are very reasonable. For a moment I thought they were one of those sneaky (Evil-Empire, undercover Starbucks owned) coffee shops posing as locally owned because they had organic, local yummy apple bars for like three bucks.
All in all, this is a great place. It is a good addition to the cities eco-cafes in my opinion. The nice thing about this place is that its an alternative to the "eco-grunge" cafes like Tequila Bookworm with its rad, all white chic style.
I back this spot hard - will return.
Regarding that previous post - I'm not illiterate, I just wrote it quickly. Definitely should be "city's" and my sentences need some period buddies.
There was free wifi, and outlets for those needing them. On a Tuesday afternoon it was populated with a few people in their late 20s working quietly on their laptops.
I wouldn't recommend the Scarlet tea, but the teas are well priced and this is more a matter of personal taste. I'll try a different one next time. I'll definitely be back.
Great coffee and delicious organic teas ( specially Scarlet tea).... I'd highly suggest it if you'd like to have some [me] time along with your book and music.
I work there every day. The lights are actually on an automated system that tuns them off as soon as the ambient light hits a certain level. It's VERY efficient, and they are rarely used during the day. Perhaps they just had them on for a pretty photo :)