RSPB Conwy’s Coffee Shop in Llandudno Junction, overlooking the Conwy Valley, received its bronze award last week following an inspection by the Soil Association earlier in the year, becoming only the second café in the county to gain the catering mark.
RSPB Conwy’s Catering Manager, Jon Ward, said: “As a charity that campaigns for nature across the country, our customers want to see ethically-sourced food and drink in support of our wildlife.”
“We are delighted to receive this recognition, not only because we’re working with great suppliers but also as we can better understand the impacts of food production on nature, and share this story with our customers. This award has also given us the opportunity to be creative and introduce new dishes to our menu, which customers love.”
One product that helped earn the Food for Life Award is the bird-friendly coffee served at the nature reserve. Produced by a farmers’ co-operative in Nicaragua, the coffee plants are grown beneath the forest canopy, ensuring that the habitat remains intact for many thousands of migrant birds, such as Golden-winged Warblers and Northern Waterthrush.
RSPB Cymru is currently running a campaign to show the fascinating journey that our food makes as it travels from farms to our dinner plates.
RSPB Cymru Political Campaigns Officer, Natasha Yorke-Edgell, explained: “When we see where our food comes from we realise what a big impact it can have on nature. The Food for Life award is therefore the perfect way to celebrate this connection and show how food, farming and nature can work in unison.”
1. RSPB Conwy nature reserve is off the A55 in Llandudno Junction. The Coffee Shop opened in 2006, and is popular with local families as well as visitors to the area. Entry to the Coffee Shop is free, separate from a visit to the nature reserve trails. The Coffee Shop is open from 10am to 4.30pm every day.
2. The Soil Association champions organic principles and practice, to secure the health and vitality of people, farm animals and nature. It launched the Food for Life Catering Mark to encourage hospitals, schools, care homes, workplace canteens and attractions to source healthy, environmentally-friendly food. Over 1.6 million meals are served every weekday in the UK under the Food for Life catering mark.
3. The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations. The RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home campaign is aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK’s threatened wildlife.
4. Farming plays a crucial role in giving nature a home in Wales - with 84% of Wales’ land being farmed. The RSPB are working together with farmers to find wildlife-friendly methods as farming is vital for wildlife and the wider community.
Julian HughesSite Manager, Conwy