"It started with choosing local partners from South Canterbury to design, build and furnish the Foodstore & Eatery, thus creating and maintaining local jobs.  We cleverly built in really design features that use our recycled Barker's of Geraldine Syrup bottles, making them into light fittings, as well as using local joiners to make all of our table holders, serving platters and crates using locally milled Macrocarpa wood. From there it was ensuring that we used local artisan food producers to supply our menus so that the food didn't travel too far to be enjoyed,  and was grown and ripened in the lush valleys of this fertile region".

 

The food industry is unfortunately associated with large amounts of waste both in the packaging of food products and in the amount of food that is discarded. Barker's Foodstore & Eatery has been tenacious in ensuring that its footprint is minimal so our recycling and composting have reached new levels. The streaming of all waste and diversion from landfill is incredibly rewarding. 

Nicky Donker's discussed Barker's commitment “We have been working closely Timaru District Council who have the most proactive recycling system in New Zealand, so we will be using their 3-colour bin recycling system at the Eatery. Any leftover food at the end of each day is donated to our local rest home, Waihi Lodge, other unsuitable food such as dairy will go off to local pig farmers at the Farm Yard Holiday Park, and anything left to the composting system at Timaru District Council. Coupled with this the milk bottles will be recycled into Fonterra’s National Recycling Programme".

"As an Eatery providing takeaway we have also been very mindful to choose environmentally responsible packaging. Most food containers can be recycled but often end up as landfill. Ensuring the majority of our packaging is biodegradable is integral to our waste management. All take home boxes and cutlery are manufactured from 100% sustainable sources such as sugar cane and cornstarch".

Taking it one step further all menus are on recycled paper and the children’s pencils are made from recycled newspapers, and children’s toys for your children to play with are made from recycled materials.

- Herb garden for the Eatery kitchen to use with the local children's support

- Keep cup discounts on your daily tea or coffee

- Selling Allpress reusable keep cups in-store