Balzac's Coffee Roasters Gets "Leafed" for Sustainability

STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 5, 2011) - After embarking on a journey to further improve the environmental footprint of its five coffeehouses, Balzac's Coffee Roasters underwent an extensive audit by Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Foodserve (LEAF), a national third-party certifier of sustainability for foodservice establishments, that today resulted in official LEAF-certification for its ongoing commitment to social and environmental operations.

"We are honoured to be recognized as the first LEAF-certified café in Ontario, as we have always strived to provide responsible operations that reflect our commitment to people and the planet," said Diana Olsen, founder, Balzac Coffee Roasters. "We believe in creating community partnerships, decreasing our waste, purchasing ethical products, using green products and increasing awareness to the communities in which we serve about what we are doing."

Without compromise, Balzac's Coffee Roasters have offered organic, Fair Trade, coffee and cocoa since 1997. Each location is chosen to integrate within the greater surroundings, as well as benefit local producers and suppliers through participation in the global slow food movement.

Further, most of the paper products are recycled or non-oil based, organic milk, cream and sugar complement the Fair Trade coffee selections, and a percentage of sales goes to support environmental organizations such as the Planet in Focus Film Festival.

As the first coffeehouse in Ontario to achieve LEAF certification, Balzac's Coffee Roasters joins other LEAF-certified restaurants across Canada that now displays the LEAF decal in windows.

About LEAF

Established in Calgary in 2009, LEAF helps restaurants reduce their environmental impact, and makes it easy for diners to identify green restaurants. The organization provides a benchmark to measure the environmental sustainability of foodservice establishments in Canada, and fosters sustainability by working with the community to support the local economy. Our mandate is to bring people together, not only in the foodservice industry, but farmers, producers and consumers as well, to work towards a more sustainable, less wasteful foodservice industry. Consumers can recognize LEAF-certified restaurants by the blue or green LEAF decal indicating the level of certification, along with other promotional materials on and offline. Website, www.leafme.ca Twitter: @LEAF_Canada Facebook: L.E.A.F.