Innovation

The business model upheld at the Red Brick Café started as an “extension of [Shelley's] lifestyle” and continues to propel it today. The owner, Shelley Krieger, keeps the food homemade, the coffee organic and Fair Trade, the straws biodegradable and uses glass and ceramic cups for in-house seating. She also purchases local ingredients to help cut down on shipping and packaging. With gender neutral bathrooms, being 100% wheelchair accessible and having the 1890’s building renovated with salvaged recycled material, this little spot was well before its time with its social initiatives. Shelley puts it simply, “Third space is a space for community, which used to be locations like the church or the YMCA, now, I’ve tried to incorporate coffee shops into that space.” The café was shaped around that goal, the third space follows the first and second spaces, which are home and work. A person has those three spaces in life and that sense of community was harder to come by these days with “people lacking a community environment,” so in turn, “coffee shops started filling that void.”

Inspiration

From travelling throughout Europe, Shelley felt the heritage and history entrenched in the culture, buildings, and businesses. It was a special feeling and she wanted the Red Brick Café to emulate that same atmosphere. She was inspired by other cafés she saw in Europe that had been there for generations with rich history and authentic personality. It was fascinating to her that you can build such a multi-generational and sustainable place. She learned that “something can be created and last for such a long time,” and brought that back to Guelph. Her individual meaning, motivation and sense of purpose related directly to her business model from personal experience.

Overall impact

The business model of the Red Brick Café has a significant impact from a societal and environmental viewpoint. By establishing a café in downtown Guelph, Shelley offers her guests a place where they can come together. It is 100% accessible and protects against inequalities or discrimination.

The food is home-made, and the coffee is organic and Fair Trade from which the producers and the consumers benefit. In addition, Shelley avoids unnecessary waste by using biodegradable straws and take-out cups as well as exclusively using glass or ceramic cups for in-house seating and by using recycled material for the renovation of the building. These actions show that, in comparison, considerably less waste is produced. Shelley also manages to support local farmers by only purchasing local ingredients which helps eliminate pollution from transportation as well as sustaining community economies. From a long-term perspective, the café helps to unify the community and it shows how to manage a café in the most sustainable and net positive way possible. At first, she faced an excruciating backlash from the community as society did not value organic and Fair-Trade at the time. Since operating in a sustainable and ethical manner was a core personal value, Shelley made the intentional choice to not advertise her shop's sustainable practices and just let people enjoy her shop. If customers asked about the origin of her products, only then would she share their origin.

Business benefit

Shelley has updated her operations with high-efficiency boilers, LED light bulbs, and an expanded kitchen, so they can make everything in-house. With the in-house kitchen it allows for everything to be fresh for customers, and items to be made on premises. All of this comes with an expensive upfront cost, but the positive outcome is that she can have more products made in-house to support her local agriculture economy. This allows her to increase revenue while minimizing the environmental impact from shipments. This ties into how the long-term effects of sustainable and innovative business practices are worth the initial investment.

Due to the foresight of these investments, the Red Brick Café now operates more efficiently. For example, Shelley used to pay $2,500 a month for electricity and gas, now she has those costs down to $700. By investing in sustainable measures, it has helped bring down some of her utility costs.

Shelley has enjoyed long-term sustainable success. Shelley has positively impacted the community and environment while also making her business a striving success over the last 12 years. Her willingness to persevere through obstacles, and her willpower to never give up on her values even when faced with societal backlash has created a successful and sustainable business that has become a respected hotspot for the community of Guelph.

Another benefit, not just to her business, but to other businesses is the fact that Shelley renovated an old building instead of building another. She purchased it in Douglas Street, which was notoriously known for its drug abusers and run-down atmosphere. After polishing up the building, more and more businesses started to see value in that street and began setting up shop next to her, which in turn helped increase the local economy in that area. So, her innovation was not only successful for her, but for the rest of the neighbourhood.

Social and environmental benefit

She has made social impacts such as having the café being a pillar of the downtown Guelph community. Shelley did not want to make the café a one-dimensional place. During the time that she was creating the café, there were very diverse groups: the artsy people of downtown, the farmers that had been there for years, and the students that were coming to University of Guelph. Shelley wanted to make it a place where everyone in the community felt welcome.

Shelley has been involved with Fair-Trade organic coffee and tea and biodegradable products for all 12 years that she has been in business. Her menu is made in-house with simple and chemical free ingredients. This contributes to incorporating a healthy lifestyle into her daily operations by serving only products containing healthy, socially responsible and high quality ingredients.

In regards to environmental impact, she has reduced the waste her business produces substantially. Shelley incorporates the use of ceramics and glass mugs into her service, so that she reduces take-out containers. She also purchases food and ingredients more locally to reduce the amount of packaging she must throw out. Shelley mentioned that she composts her coffee grounds as well. This way, Shelley states that “only one bag of garbage is thrown out at the end of the night.” She also reduces the amount of pollution emitted from shipping goods by purchasing local ingredients.

Interview

Shelley Krieger, Owner