4 Stars – Ecosystem

Homeground Coffee Roasters

This expert micro-coffee roaster situated at the Southern end of the famous Joo Chiat Road is a place for award winning coffee and local artistry.

A new micro-coffee roaster perched on Joo Chiat Road is award-winning and fresh onto the scene. It has recently expanded into offering food and has an admirable attitude to offering minimal single-use plastic in store.

Front of Homeground Coffee Roasters — The stylish front of house.

Environmental Impact 🌏

Single-use Plastic

No plastic cutlery in sight and they offer no plastic bags as standard. Although, as we consistently find – especially in Coffee shops – plastic is still a big problem for takeaways and no one seems to have found a viable alternative. Homeground offers single-use plastic cups for its takeaway beverages.

Huskee Reusable Coffee Cups — Reusable Coffee Cups made from Coconut Husks.

If you purchase a tin of their Coffee Beans, and then bring the container back to the store, you can get a $1 discount on your next purchase which is a great incentive for zero waste Homeground coffee.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Vegetarian & Vegan Food

Homeground have teamed up with local Mexican-inspired ‘Das a Wrap’ who offer a small number of options with plenty for Vegetarians and Vegans. Their Vegan Burr is a real triumph and recommended.

Homeground food menu — Plenty of Vegetarian and Vegan options for such a limited menu.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Organic Food

Homeground’s local ‘Vanta’ House Espresso Blend is made from 50% Red Catuaí coffee (ecoagricola Serra Do Cabral, Brazil) which although not stated as being organic, is certainly more sustainable than many other beans.

The cafe did provide Cakes from The Bakery by Woodlands Sourdough which previously use organic ingredients before it closed its doors late last year, but their food does not appear to use Organic produce. There does seem to be a genuine attempt to source their beans from more responsible sources.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5

Local Produce

Homeground’s food offerings are certainly sold by a local outfit but again, it’s unclear where the ingredients are sourced from.

Their cakes which are occasionally sold in conjunction with some of their newer, special blends are sourced from various local establishments including The Bakery by Woodlands Sourdough and Two Men Bagels.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5

Social Impact 😇

The Cafe is particular good at supporting the local Art community. When we visited, there were some wonderful displays and murals which could be purchased in store by Artist Ly Leow.

Mural from artist Ly Yeow — Large mural from local artist, Ly Yeow.

They also offer Brewery and Sensory classes to help spread the joy of coffee across Singapore. Singapore National Brewers Cup 2019 Champion, Elysia Tan is particularly good at sharing her love for Coffee.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5

Conclusion

This cafe is a wonderful addition to the Singapore Coffee scene and is a great place to experience some unique flavours in a unique corner of Singapore’s East Coast.

There have been some great starts made to their single-use plastic policies – particularly in the lack of plastic cutlery, takeaway bags and zero waste incentives. We’d like to see some more emphasis put on their locally sourced produce and more information on where they source their coffee. We look forward to seeing this venue grow and develop.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Unpakt Zero Waste Store OUE Downtown Gallery

Unpakt were the first zero waste grocery store in Singapore, this is the second store opened in the City Centre and is a brilliantly convenient way to reduce food waste and excessive plastic packaging, while saving you money on your weekly bill.

This store is the second store from the Team that set up Singapore’s first zero-waste bulk store in Ang Mo Kio. Situated in OUE Downtown Gallery, it’s a perfect after-work stop for those who are based in the City Centre and can’t face the travel north to Ang Mo Kio.

Environmental Impact 🌏

Single-use Plastic

This store dedicates itself to producing no unnecessary plastic waste in its store. The very concept is designed to reduce packaging. Bring your own containers, have them weighed, fill them up with goods from the store, reweigh them, and then finally pay for the difference. It’s a brilliant way to reduce waste. If you’ve forgotten your own containers – the Store also welcomes donations of jars and other containers which can be picked up and used instead. The store buys in bulk where it can to save on packaging and also contains it’s own up-cycled seating area made from plastic bottles. It offers no Plastic bags and no paper receipts which can be emailed to you on sign up in store.

Unpakt Plastic Seating Area — Part of the seating area available with chairs made from upcycled plastic bottles

Upcycled interactive art displays — There are interactive art displays in store.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Vegetarian & Vegan Food

The store is awash with Vegetarian options and offers no meat products whatsoever. Finding Vegan options is tricky however, as there is no sign posting. The friendly-staff are always willing to help however and after asking – we found out that they have many Vegan options and are working on a way to display that in the future. Stay tuned.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Organic Food

There are plenty of Organic options to choose from and the store updates what stock it has on it’s Facebook page so that you know what exactly is available before you go. We’ve recently been in to try their new Organic Coffee beans from Italy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Local Produce

Much of what is available in Unpakt is imported from overseas but they do have some really great local produce to offer. Our favourite is their Toothpaste powder, which can be refilled on return for a discount of 50 cents. They also have great local soap and jam preserve offerings.

Unpakt soap display — Unpakt locally-sourced soap display

Jam preserve display — These are the locally sourced Jam preserves offered by Conscious Delights.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Social Impact 😇

The Unpakt Team are active supporters and contributors to ZeroWaste SG’s BYO initiative which aims to inspire people in Singapore to reduce plastic waste by bringing their own containers and receiving incentives and discounts for doing so.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5

Conclusion

This store is a true pioneer of the Zero Waste scene in Singapore and their commitment to reducing waste is inspiring. This recent move to OUE Downtown makes it that much more convenient and accessible to your average person. Their staff are friendly and very keen to answer any questions you may have on their products. We would love for them to spend more time spreading the love around their message, advertising and working amongst the wider community. A functioning website and newsletter for updates on offerings would be a good start there.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Common Man Stan

This spin off from the popular and well established Common Man Coffee Roasters in River Valley, sits in the heart of the city on Stanley Street and is part of a much loved Coffee Roasting Brand here in Singapore. Staff are friendly and attentive, but don’t expect Common prices – coffee and food is pricey.

Environmental Impact 🌏

Single-use Plastic

The Cafe/Restaurant is a supporter of the fight against single-use plastic waste. Not a straw in sight on entry and no plastic bags either. Metal straws are offered with their selection of fresh juices, they offer no plastic cutlery in store or when taking away, napkins are made from bamboo and glasses are used instead of plastic cups. If you bring your own cup, there are discounts to be had too, although that’s not actually displayed anywhere.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

Common Man Stan Espresso Bar — A view from behind the Espresso Bar at Common Man Stan

Vegetarian & Vegan Food

There are plenty of Vegetarian options (i’m a big fan of the Cacao Granola in the Mornings), but Vegans are much more limited with only one option available on the All Day Breakfast Menu and Lunch Menu apiece.

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ 3/5

Organic Food

The only issue with this place is that the Menu doesn’t seem to use much Organic food. At least, if they do – it’s not being shown to customers. We did ask staff but not much was known on the subject.

⭐️☆☆☆☆ 1/5

Local Produce

Common Man Stan prides itself on its use of local produce within its dishes, it works with Citizen Farm, Kuhlburra Fish, Tiong Bahru Bakery and South West Honey to name a few. Beans are roasted on site in Singapore.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Social Impact 😇

A quick browse of the Common Man Coffee Roasters’ website shows that they take the transparency and sustainability of their supply chain seriously. They support local communities in Burundi directly and are active in discussions to improve the lives of suppliers in Bali.

In particular, the Brand has partnered with Long Miles Coffee Project, Five Senses Coffee and NGO Arbor Day Foundation to produce the Trees for Kibira initiative.

The project aims to plant a green belt of 15,000 seedling trees in Burundi’s Kibira Forest, training locals through the Forest Scouts programme to protect, preserve and expand the indigenous Kibira Forest.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5

Conclusion

This Cafe/Restaurant is a champion of green-minded thinking in Singapore and certainly falls in line with the Environmental and Socially-minded. It’s not light on your wallet and could improve on Organic produce, but this Cafe is a lovely way to spend an afternoon and is an excellent example of how a modern Cafe should operate and inspire us. The Coffee is also superb.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ 4/5