Recycling & Sustainability
At Gelato Messina, we’re quite aware of the impact poor sustainability practices can have on the environment so we're changing the way we do things around here, for the better.
Reusable Tubs & Cups
Let’s start with the one we get asked about most frequently…why can’t our customers use re-usable tubs and cups?The truth is it’s a slightly grey area. We love the idea of it of course, but we simply don’t have the ability to make the whole process 100% risk free.The Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety and General Requirements) states:
9. Food Packaging
A food business must, when packaging food – (a) only use packaging material that is fit for its intended use;
(b) only use material that is not likely to cause food contamination; and
(c) ensure that there is no likelihood that the food may become contaminated during the packaging process.
In order to ensure that re-usable packaging is not contaminated, we would need to wash and sterilise each container every time it comes into our stores. This is unfortunately not feasible and it’s the main reason we do not accept any reusable containers at present. The other more minor issue is standardising volume of takeaway tubs. It would be almost impossible to know.
But it’s not all bad news…read on.
Styrofoam Tubs
We’ve been looking for a recyclable solution for years and finally we have one. You can now bring back your (clean) Styrofoam tubs to stores for recycling.
Here’s how: Eat your gelato, wash the tub and return it your local store on your next visit
The clean containers returned to us are 100% recycled, crushed and reused in a number of building products, these vary from 30% up to 100% recycled material depending upon use.
Our supplier can also recycle the material via extrusion to General Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) which is used in injection moulding to form shape moulded products such as refrigerator trays and boxes, toys and novelties, cosmetic packs, costume jewellery, light diffusers, etc.
Gelato & Food Wastage
As a company we have very little wastage. In the event we have a flavour which doesn’t sell too well we often give away to our charity partners such as OzHarvest. If we’ve baked too much of something, we can create new flavours or use it at special events. There’s always somewhere we can use it.
Besides which we have large -20 degree freezers which means we can freeze and store anything unused until we’re ready to use it. As a company, we are always on the hunt for the best quality produce, which does sometimes mean importing ingredients from overseas.
Growing Our Own
As a company, we are investing in producing our own ingredients here in Australia. We have our own dairy farm in Numurkah, VIC, our own hazelnut farm in Seymour, VIC, and grow our own strawberries in Dural, NSW.
In 2017 we invested in the dairy farm so we could supply our own milk for our gelato. Our 400+ herd of pasture fed jersey cows produce a beautifully creamy milk which we use in all our gelato. It's pasteurised on the farm, and sent to Sydney to be turned into gelato. We run the farms using sustainable and organic practices although we are not certified so.
In a few years time we hope to harvest enough of our own hazelnuts to make our own paste. We currently import hazelnuts from Cortemilia, Italy, so by growing our own we aim to reduce our transport carbon footprint.
Got any other questions?
If you're curious about any of our other sustainable practices or just want to recommend something send us an email at info@gelatomessina.com and we'll have a chat to you there!