A Cwmbran Artisan Patisserie aims to celebrate its 20th birthday by implementing a range of sustainable baking practices on their journey to a low-carbon future.
Sustainability is a top priority of Sian and Ian Hindle who founded La Creme Patisserie in 2005. Now, with the duo’s children holding key positions within the company, the family business has committed to taking steps to reduce their company’s carbon emissions, with the aim to become a net zero enterprise for the future.
Speaking to Rob Hindle (Operations Director & Eldest Son), he outlined some of the family enterprise’s plans.
Rob says:
“We are committed to taking action where it matters and we have identified a number of priority areas for emissions reduction, building our social impact and preventing
waste. We are developing a plan to limit our impact on the climate and build our
resilience going forward.”
The family run enterprise has set specific sustainability goals to record, calculate, and evaluate their businesses practices in their quest for a net zero future for the business. They collect data on emissions such as fuel consumption, electricity usage and waste treatment and report yearly in accordance with the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting.
Rob adds:
“We will review our performance in the year and track where we have done well and the areas in which we could do more and act upon those findings.
Within 12 months, we plan to commit to a certification scheme to demonstrate our
commitment and credibility in this area. This will be aligned with the Science Based
Targets Initiative and other needs of our business and customers.”
Sian and Ian recognise the challenges but are determined to create a business that takes steps to monitor and reduce their carbon footprint year on year. Immediate benefits have included a saving up to £1,000 a month in reduced waste costs, with further long-term savings expected to be realised and proof that more sustainable production can also help the bottom line. They have made a pledge to sourcing locally, supporting farmers, and collaborating with other local businesses to create circular economy solutions.
Their praise for the efforts of their staff is evident as is their commitment to continuing to pay them the living wage. They believe that upskilling is crucial and thrive on seeing their employees learn and grow.
A recent meeting with Compass Cymru, a localised offering of Compass Group UK & Ireland Food Services and Catering Solutions, proved very successful for La Creme Patisserie resulting in them achieving its coveted ‘advanced supplier’ status within Foodby UK Procurement, as a direct result of implementing their latest sustainability action plan and development of new plant-based products.
Rob says:
“Sustainability goals were a key talking point so the preparation we made ahead of the meeting, derived from what we learnt on the Sustainability Training course, certainly helped us to show our commitment and credibility.”
Businesses are encouraged to follow in Rob’s footsteps when it comes to satisfying the increasing market demands in terms of sustainability, and Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru | Food & Drink Skills Wales - a Welsh Government funded programme committed to working with the food and drink industry to develop a skilled and capable workforce, is offering a free series of Sustainability Training to support this.
Trainer, Iain Cox of EcoStudio is highly experienced in helping organisations put sustainability into practice and ultimately provides a good introduction covering key concepts and legislation that will prepare businesses to work on their Carbon Reduction and Social Impact Plans.
Iain Cox said:
“La Creme Patisserie is a brilliant example proving that improvements made within the business really do have an impact - especially when it comes to trade buyers and their commitments to work with suppliers that demonstrate sustainability credentials.
The Sustainability Training provides a good introduction for businesses who want a better understanding on how to incorporate sustainability into their commercial activities”.
The free Sustainability Training offered by Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru | Food & Drink Skills Wales is a series of five online training sessions with additional 1-2-1 sessions for further expert guidance. Access to interactive tools to assess sustainability performance and guidance on how to develop a sustainability plan are also provided.
Following the Sustainability Training, Rob is receiving additional mentoring support through Cywain to help them achieve an accreditation to an environmental standard and then to further develop their Sustainability framework. La Crème is also working with the Sustainability Cluster and the Carbon Reduction Pilot Scheme to tackle emissions and support the net zero transition in Wales.
Kate Rees, Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru | Food & Drink Skills Wales, Programme Manager adds:
“It’s fantastic to see the impact that attending the Food & Drink Skills Wales Sustainability Course has had for La Creme Patisserie. This mirrors the widespread positive feedback we’ve received from past attendees and the many tangible benefits they’ve been able to obtain by implementing the learnings from the sessions. With the course fully subsidised by the programme, food and drink businesses in Wales really have nothing to lose.”
Dates of the 2025 cohort of Sustainability Training are:
January 8, 15, 22, 29 & February 5
Contact Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru | Food & Drink Skills Wales to book your place: skills-wales@mentera.cymru