commonly coffee

The team at Monogram are doing something pretty amazing. Earlier this year they launched a fantastic initiative called BYOB – bring your own bag. This is an incredible way of staying committed to taking steps towards greater sustainability as a company.

When I first heard about their BYOB initiative I was hooked! Not only is this a great way to reduce waste by bringing in one of my own containers to fill with amazing Monogram coffee, it’s also a way of saving money! I think they call this a win-win.

I had the chance to chat with Monogram Coffee to learn more about this and to be able to share with you why this is something everyone should be getting on board with.

[thebloom] As a company its clear you have a strong emphasis towards sustainability & stewardship. Tell our readers how BYOB helps to fulfill this.

[Monogram] “As a company, we are committed to consistently making steps towards sustainability. Stewardship is one of our values, and we’re striving to see that played out in every area of our business. Quality coffee packaging isn’t always very environmentally friendly, but at this point it’s still necessary. We’ve started the BYOB program (Bring Your Own Bag) as a small way that we, and our regular customers, can reduce our waste and footprint on the environment. It’s also very cost effective, customers save money by bringing in their own bag or container – they’re only paying for the coffee beans, not the packaging they usually come in.”

[thebloom] So how did this initiative get started? Where did the idea come from to begin giving your customers the opportunity to bring in their own container instead of just having to purchase bagged-beans of the shelf?

[Monogram] The idea of BYOB was put into action after our dear friend, Jess Johnston. She put out a social media call to Calgary coffee roasters requesting that someone do a bulk bean program. Jess lives an intentional low-waste lifestyle, but still wanted to be able to purchase specialty coffee to brew at home. We realized that this idea and program was fully feasible, and we were able to launch it soon after.

[thebloom] So how exactly does this work? Walk our readers through what they can expect when the show up at one of your cafes with their own container.

[Monogram] A customer can come into any of our three cafes with their own bag or container, and have it fully filled up or filled with a specific desired amount, by one of our baristas. Easy! The cost of our BYOB selection is 5 cents a gram. When you compare that to our retail bagged selection, customers who use BYOB end up saving about 15%.

Customers will always have a filter, espresso, and decaf option to choose from. These coffees will be seasonal, as with all of our coffees, and will often be what we’re serving in the cafes.

Our Fifth Ave location has a “Wonder” filter option (these tend to be more exotic coffees, with fruitier notes) as well as a “Warmth” option (more approachable coffees, tending towards nutty and chocolatey notes). Both of which will also be on our Honour Bar system, downtown. Our Altadore & Britannia locations will only be carrying the Warmth option at this point when it comes to filter coffee.

[thebloom] Can you tell our readers how much of an impact this initiative has made since it was first launched?

[Monogram] From when we first launched back in August until November, we have saved approximately 419 bags from being used. As people find out about BYOB, and the sustainability movement grows more and more, we expect the number of bags being “saved” to grow with it. We’re so happy that our community has been so receptive to the project, and that we’re all able to partner together to create less waste and environmental impact.

_______________________________________

I want to say a huge thanks to Monogram for letting me be a part in sharing their story and sharing about the BYOB initiative. When you’re looking to pick up some coffee this holiday season grab your bucket, vase, mason jar…whatever, and head on down to Monogram and fill it with some coffee!

Stay Caffeinated,

Tyler