This second branch of the celebrated Tiong Bahru cafe, 40 Hands (named to celebrate the 40 Hands it takes to produce a coffee from bean to cup) is a welcome addition to the Joo Chiat neighbourhood with excellent coffee and Aussie-style brunch on offer. We think the decor is also hilarious.
Environmental Impact 🌏
Single-use Plastic
Full marks. 40 Hands uses only glass and metal in store with the only plastic in sight being those asking for takeaway coffee (difficult to avoid with no real alternatives outside of the BYO movement). They even offer environmentally-friendly paper towels in their toilets.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Vegetarian & Vegan Food
Plenty of Veggie food to get your teeth into and dishes can be made vegan if you ask the friendly staff. The warm salads are a particularly good, hearty meal!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5
Organic Food
The food on offer at 40 Hands is not organic.
⭐️☆☆☆☆ 1/5
Local Produce
Their speciality Coffee is roasted right here in Singapore and most of the food is sourced locally using the same suppliers as Common Man Coffee Roasters (they are owned by the same Spa Esprit Group).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5
Social Impact 😇
40 Hands are not on the same scale of social impact here in Singapore as say, the Social Space – but they are big proponents of sustainability and direct trade with their Coffee Bean suppliers. The decor in this Cafe is also celebratory of the local community (albeit with a bit of tongue n’ cheek) and their blog posts celebrate the communities within which they play a part. More can be done in this area however.
⭐️⭐️☆☆☆ 2/5
Conclusion
40 Hands play a part in their local community by sourcing locally and celebrating the regional culture around their two stores – but could do more when it comes to supporting social and environmental causes on a bigger scale. They also don’t offer organic produce.
This cafe is quirky, friendly, relaxed and the food is excellent. Their attitude to single-use plastic is good and they have plenty on offer for those who want to do their part to help by not eating animals with delicious food.
⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5
Ecosystem 