Yallah, the Cornish coffee that cares

Producing sustainably sourced and freshly roasted coffee from a barn just outside of Falmouth, local business Yallah is not only praised for its delicious coffee (and trust us, it’s spot on) but also for its caring credentials too. Still operating from the same barn when the company was set up in 2014, albeit significantly revamped over the years, they also have a hugely popular coffee hatch on St Ives seafront. If you’re in a café or a restaurant and Yallah coffee is on the menu, you’re in safe hands.

The coffee roasting barn and general HQ at Argal Home Farm is powered by solar and heated with biomass, but the sustainability goes way beyond that. “Sustainably sourced coffee begins at the source. It starts with ensuring the coffee farmers are paid the right price for their coffee and that they invest in quality, fair and sustainable business practice,” says Richard Blake, founder of Yallah. “It also means placing a high value on how the coffee is grown, protection of the natural environment and working with growers who are doing what they can to reduce their impact on the planet,” he continues.

At the end of last year, the brand relaunched its packaging.

“The environmental credentials of food packaging have become confusing at best,” explains Richard. “Often, plant based plastic alternatives are worse than their predecessors in terms of emissions and their impact on the land. Plus, more often than not, they go into general waste and then landfill, making the whole thing almost entirely pointless,” he continues.

Yallah coffee is now proudly packaged in a new high barrier, paper based and plastic free bag boasting fresh prints. The pouches are heat sealable and will keep your coffee fresh for up to four weeks. “These bags are 100 per cent paper based, meaning they can be recycled with your household paper. It’s this simplicity that makes it so good; they are recyclable in 100% of homes across the country, making the best possible end of life scenario very achievable, no matter where they go,” says Richard.

While this means the coffee can’t be stored in the bags as long as their old bags, this is something Richard sees as a positive. “We want people to be excited about freshness and look forward to receiving their coffee regularly, not storing coffee in cupboards for months on end.”

It’s businesses like Yallah who are striving to make their brands as sustainable as possible, and for that we salute them. “From a life cycle perspective, this is a massive step forwards for us. We hope you like the bags – buy fresh and recycle them with your paper waste – it’s as easy as that,” says Richard.

yallahcoffee.co.uk