Black Crow Coffee Co. is now Florida’s first certified zero-waste coffeehouse — and the first certified zero-waste business in St. Petersburg.
Opened in Historic Old Northeast in 2015, the eclectic coffee roaster and shop has to keep 90 percent of its potential waste out of the Pinellas County landfill to be considered zero waste.
Black Crow co-owner Deana Hawk was an early adopter of composting and nixing single-use plastic straws, but Hawk partnered with local sustainability consulting group Shift Co. to work toward becoming zero waste in April 2018. After six months of analyses, training and redesign, the shop reached its goal.
For example, Shift Co. helped Black Crow go from throwing away nine rags a day (that amounts to approximately 3,285 rags over a year) to washing and reusing them. The switch saves Hawk almost $1,500 annually. However, it’s not about the money.
“I have a responsibility and commitment to serve my community and mother earth,” Hawk said in a statement, “inside and outside of Black Crow Coffee Co.”
This year, Black Crow will compost more than 15,000 pounds and recycle around 1,820 pounds of organic waste — all while looking into other ways to reduce its environmental impact. The shop plans to phase out single-use plastic cleaning products next.
Keep the eco-minded actions coming.
