Philosophy change shifts cafe to dairy free

 

BY JULIA WADE

Sipping a brew bought from a local coffee spot will now give the sippee an extra kick with the knowledge that one of the new ingredients is kind to nature. 

After two ‘amazing years’ located at Mangawhai Activity Zone (MAZ), Cool Beans Cafe is undergoing a change of menu with the wellbeing of the environment at heart. The recently-bald owner/operator Morgan Redfern-Hardisty, who shaved his long dreadlocks off in June to raise $1325 for MAZ, launched a 100 percent plant-based menu on July 27, making the cafe possibly the first dining facility in the district to do so. 

“As an adaptable small business owner with a long term plan I could foresee an upcoming shift in New Zealand's future towards a more sustainable use of land,” he says. “I saw a way that Cool Beans could reduce its footprint on the earth with a simple change of ingredients, by sourcing a wide variety of delicious, nutrient-rich plant milks and removing the age-old popular choice of cow’s milk.”

Morgan decided to make the transformation after travelling through India and Nepal last year, where he encountered first-hand respect for the ‘holy cow’, allowed to wander the areas lanes and streets unharmed. Something about the experience spoke to him he says, urging him to seek answers to how farm animals were treated in New Zealand. His research into the effects of extensive agriculture was ‘more than I bargained for’ he says.

“The reality that dairy farming is causing harm to New Zealand's environment and the 'humane methods' the industry is built on, definitely startled me,” he says. “I realised my little skate park coffee spot was supporting the dairy industry and to be honest it didn't sit well. My moral beliefs started to form around the subject and how to proceed forward with this business became clearer as the summer months rolled on.”

Adopting a plant based menu was a fitting solution, one which embraces ‘New Zealand's forever-diversifying horizon’ and offers customers an opportunity to try coffees, ice creams, smoothies, stacked cheese toasties, crispy sausage rolls and even sweet raw goods without the use of animal products.

“I acknowledge that it is a sensitive time and will possibly create discussion around the farming subject but in the end I know what I'm doing is for the right reasons and will continue to move in that direction with all my heart and soul.”

Cool Beans Cafe, open Fri-Sun 9-5pm, now selling only dairy-free food and drinks. Owner Morgan Redfern-Hardisty says he’s ‘moving forward into the future and creating an exciting alternative experience for all who visit’.