Thirsty Thursday Cafe News with Wāhi Tukurua

The next SUC-Free Thirsty Thursday will be at Matts Café in Whitianga this Thursday, 5 December 2024, 9am to 12 noon. For full details see the link to the event listing below. 

Thirsty Thursday Report: November 2024 - Eccentric Cafe

Eggcentric Café operators Sam Fowell and Rachel Saunders offered free cake and coffee along with entry into a prize draw to incentivise people to either sit in or bring their own reusable cup. They now hope people will continue to question using the plastic-lined throw-away options and ask themselves – ‘Where does my rubbish go when I’m finished with it?’

Sam was a shy 8-year-old when Eggcentric Café first opened in 1998. His dad, Dave Fowell, held the reigns of the unique eatery for over a decade, mixing music and art with great food and a quirky alternative vibe.

Sam took over the business in 2015 and meeting Rachel helped galvanise his awareness around the importance of conservation, endorsing healthy environmental habits along with healthy food.

Eggcentric was an early user of sustainably sourced products and in 2011 the café won the Good Egg award.

Sam says he is a strong advocate of ‘make-it-from-scratch’ food and avoids packaged ingredients as much as possible.

‘We use organic milk, free range eggs, grass fed meat – we don’t cut on costs in that area.”

Sam says that in recent years a lot of customers ask for gluten free, dairy free, low sugar options. Now he wants people to think about ‘waste free’ and consider the planet’s health along with their own.

Offering a mug library for travellers who have forgotten their keep-cup was one of the first moves Eggcentric Café made to reduce waste, along with charging extra for coffees being handed over in a throw away cup and discounts for those bringing their own reusable.

Eggcentric were quick to get onboard with Chunky Cups when the option was offered to them, meaning people could avoid single-use cups by either ‘hiring’ a cup for a refundable $10 or hooking into the swap a cup system with participating cafes.

Sam and Rachel’s message is simple. “Go for waste-free!’ ‘Don’t use take-away cups and straws – just don’t!”