Here at Baytown, we’re lucky enough to call Whitby and the East Coast home. Whitby Abbey, The Whalebone Arch, Captain Cook and Dracula – they’re all a huge part of our identity. But just as important as all that history is the beautiful scenery around us. From the dramatic cliffs to the lush moors, we know how important it is to look after the environment, we’re so lucky to have on our doorstep.
So, now Earth Day is upon us, it only feels right to grab the litter pickers, chuck on our Baytown hats, load up on iced lattes, and head out onto the Cleveland Way for a good old tidy-up!
It’s one of the most popular walking routes around here, and for good reason, the views are unreal. But sadly, when the busy season arrive, there’s often a trail of rubbish not far behind. So, throughout the year, we do our bit to get stuck in and help make it beautiful again. Nothing glamorous, just a bunch of us wandering about with bags and litter pickers in hand, picking up litter (pretending the wind isn’t blowing us away).
Looking after our local green spaces is something that means a lot to us at Baytown. Supplying coffee to our local heroes will always be a huge part of what we do, but it’s just as important to look after the world around us too! For us, being greener isn’t just about litter picking – it’s about finding ways to recycle a little bit of ourselves back into the world.
Giving Coffee a second life
As avid coffee drinkers, we get through A LOT of coffee (don’t worry, we’re fine, really). But instead of just chucking the leftover grounds away, we do our best to make sure they have a chance at a second life!
Thanks to where we’re based, we’ve got plenty of allotments just down the road, so we often pass our used coffee grounds on to the local gardeners, where they can work their magic in the soil. Good for plants, good for the earth, and a whole lot better than sending them off to some landfill!
Then there’s the coffee chaff – the papery skin that flakes off coffee beans during roasting. Not the most glamorous part of the process, but honestly? It’s absolute gold dust for gardens. It’s brilliant for soil, veggies, flowers, the lot.
By reusing these coffee by-products, we’re trying to complete the cycle in the best way we can: from the earth to bean, to cup, to compost. It’s a small thing, but it all adds up and it’s our way of keeping the planet, and our local green spaces looking and feeling their best.
And the best bit is, you can do this too! Whether you’ve been brewing over Bloomswell or vibing with Boggle Hole, or even just getting through you usual morning cuppa, don’t bin those those grounds straight away. Pop them onto your soil, whether its indoor or outdoor plants, add a splash of water and there you have it – totally eco hero behaviour.
Something slightly unexpected… Coffee Body Scrub
Okay I get it, you’ve just boosted all your plants with some lovely coffee grounds but now you’ve got some left over, solution? Coffee body scrub. Coffee in the garden is one thing but now coffee on my skin? Let me convince you.
Coffee body scrubs are very much a thing nowadays, they are an all natural exfoliator that is easy to make, kinder to skin and doesn’t cost a small fortune. No nasty chemical ingredients, no overpriced packaging, just simple stuff you probably already have at home! (Disclaimer: Honestly, for the sensitive skin gang such as myself, it’s a bit of game changer).
Here's a simple recipe to try at home!
- ½ cup ground organic coffee
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar (or honey)
- ¼ cup coarse sea salt
Just mix everything together in a bowl until well combined, then store it in an airtight jar or container. Easy. You’ll be doing your skin, your wallet, and the planet a favour – which very much fits the Earth Day vibes, really.
One last thing…
A little note for anyone local, or visiting the area, we often end up with an overabundance of hessian coffee sacks left over from our green beans. Rather than binning them, we keep them back for anyone who might be able to give them a second life! Whether that’s for gardening, animal bedding, storage or the odd DIY project.
So, if that sounds like your kind of thing, feel free to pop us an email and we’ll happily sort you out!
Here’s to another year of being green, cleaner paths, happier plants and spreading the power of good coffee around 😊
Cheers! Adam @ Baytown.