12/12/2005
CORNWALL’S SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
A West Country beach café and shop operator, The Venus Company that expanded its business into Cornwall only last year, has been named as the 2005 Overall Winner and Best Small Business in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards. Judges praised Venus’ “overall enthusiasm and determination to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of what they do.”
The Venus Company opened its Venus Café and Beach Shop at Tolcarne Beach in Newquay following a £250,000 investment in 2004. The Venus mission is to be the greenest beach café and shop operator in Europe and the company philosophy is best summed up by its strap line of “Loving the Beach”. Venus has three other sites in South Devon at the beaches of Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth and Bigbury on Sea.
Founded by Michael and Louisa Smith with Lee Porter in 1995, the business aims to bring the professionalism of the High Street to stunning beach settings whilst striving to minimise the harmful effects and maximise the beneficial influences which the Company’s activities have on the environment.
Following the Award’s announcement, Michael Smith, Venus’ managing director said, “This is a real coup for The Venus Company and the Cornish staff team in having our green tourism business efforts at Tolcarne Beach recognised through the County’s prestigious Sustainability Awards. We will continue to source local and organic products and to work with other go ahead businesses in Cornwall to promote responsible tourism in the county for the benefit of the environment, local communities and visitors.”
The judges were “impressed with the attention given by The Venus Company to detailed monitoring of energy and water use, the outstanding sustainable purchasing practices and their innovative work in waste minimisation and recycling.”
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards were set up by the six Cornish District and Borough Councils, Cornwall County Council, Cornwall Enterprise, the Environment Agency, Groundwork Trust and Cornwall Business School. Contact: Anthony Weight on01872 322633 or aweight@cornwall.gov.uk
NOTES ON THE VENUS COMPANY
Tolcarne historically was The Beach of Newquay but has suffered from lack of investment over the last 50 years. Venus has worked with the owners of the beach to reposition Tolcarne as ‘Newquay’s favourite family beach’ and the Venus investment has been augmented by the building of luxury apartments right on the beach, newly refurbished toilets, restaurant and a year round surf school.
Venus serves local and organic produce to over 500,000 customers a year in Devon and Cornwall, has a turnover topping the £1m mark and employs a core group of 13 full time employees, supplemented by a 37 strong pool of seasonal staff and part time summer catering staff with special needs.
In April 2005, the Venus Company was honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2005, providing the best al fresco Mediterranean style dining experience in a UK beach setting whilst integrating environmental and social care into every business decision. In November 2005, Venus was presented with a 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Award for the Best in a Marine Environment Category at the World Travel Market in London.
From the outset, the Venus founders decided to create a quality concept in the service, food and retail goods provided which encompassed their keen interest in environmental issues and the desire to use as much organic and local produce as possible. The importance of corporate responsibility towards achieving positive environmental impacts and community benefits was fully acknowledged. This concept was to set Venus apart from the standard beach offering in the UK. Once the operational elements were achieved, the company started to enhance the product offering through organic and local purchasing
The Venus business philosophy ensures that customer’s needs are balanced carefully with environmental and social considerations.
Venus support of the environment at Tolcarne Beach includes:
• Water flow reducing taps
• Daily electric monitoring
• Cardboard, glass & oil recycling
• Biodegradable & environmentally friendly produced packaging
• Inter company mail, time sheets, daily reports etc all run through dedicated servers saving paper
• Chlorine & toxic free chemicals
• Energy efficient equipment & menus
Venus supports the local community by:
• Using 11 Cornish quality suppliers in 2005. Venus is continually looking for Cornish suppliers that can meet the company demand for high quality ingredients and volumes. These include Cornish blue and brie cheeses, Cornish pasties, Cornish water and organic Cornish eggs, milk & Cornish Legend Luxury Ice Cream.
• Using local, organic and Fair Trade produce wherever available; annual menu changes offer healthier options to customers with vegan, vegetarians and gluten free choice of products.
• A display map for outside the Venus premises showing the names, contact details and location of the Cornish food and drink suppliers.
• The production of a Newquay Beach Guide that is published in the 2005 Newquay Guide and on its website, www.venuscompany.co.uk
• Membership of the Newquay Association of Tourist Attractions and support of the local Newquay Tourist information Centre.
• The Venus Café and Beach Shop at Tolcarne Beach are open daily for 8 months of the year with weekend opening in winter for the benefit of local beach lovers and to help address tourism seasonality.
Venus supports the local economy through:
• Recruitment and training of local management and seasonal staff.
• A purchasing policy of buying Cornish local, tasty, healthy product rather than the cheapest. In 2004, Venus purchased quality local goods and services to an approximate value of £55,000. Venus sources the finest local products and ingredients, often purchased at 50% more cost. However, the company wishes to be associated with brand quality.
Venus promotes visitor understanding of sustainable tourism:
• Potential visitors to Venus facilities at Tolcarne can learn about the company’s mission and best practice through information on display, promotional leaflets, menu boards, the Venus website and through conversation exchange with staff at the site.
• The website has a message board for customers to get involved and feedback their comments on Venus sites and products.
• A children’s educational colouring sheet aims to educate children on some of the marine wildlife to found in and around Newquay’s coastline and how to follow the seashore code.
December 2005
The Venus Company opened its Venus Café and Beach Shop at Tolcarne Beach in Newquay following a £250,000 investment in 2004. The Venus mission is to be the greenest beach café and shop operator in Europe and the company philosophy is best summed up by its strap line of “Loving the Beach”. Venus has three other sites in South Devon at the beaches of Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth and Bigbury on Sea.
Founded by Michael and Louisa Smith with Lee Porter in 1995, the business aims to bring the professionalism of the High Street to stunning beach settings whilst striving to minimise the harmful effects and maximise the beneficial influences which the Company’s activities have on the environment.
Following the Award’s announcement, Michael Smith, Venus’ managing director said, “This is a real coup for The Venus Company and the Cornish staff team in having our green tourism business efforts at Tolcarne Beach recognised through the County’s prestigious Sustainability Awards. We will continue to source local and organic products and to work with other go ahead businesses in Cornwall to promote responsible tourism in the county for the benefit of the environment, local communities and visitors.”
The judges were “impressed with the attention given by The Venus Company to detailed monitoring of energy and water use, the outstanding sustainable purchasing practices and their innovative work in waste minimisation and recycling.”
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards were set up by the six Cornish District and Borough Councils, Cornwall County Council, Cornwall Enterprise, the Environment Agency, Groundwork Trust and Cornwall Business School. Contact: Anthony Weight on01872 322633 or aweight@cornwall.gov.uk
NOTES ON THE VENUS COMPANY
Tolcarne historically was The Beach of Newquay but has suffered from lack of investment over the last 50 years. Venus has worked with the owners of the beach to reposition Tolcarne as ‘Newquay’s favourite family beach’ and the Venus investment has been augmented by the building of luxury apartments right on the beach, newly refurbished toilets, restaurant and a year round surf school.
Venus serves local and organic produce to over 500,000 customers a year in Devon and Cornwall, has a turnover topping the £1m mark and employs a core group of 13 full time employees, supplemented by a 37 strong pool of seasonal staff and part time summer catering staff with special needs.
In April 2005, the Venus Company was honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2005, providing the best al fresco Mediterranean style dining experience in a UK beach setting whilst integrating environmental and social care into every business decision. In November 2005, Venus was presented with a 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Award for the Best in a Marine Environment Category at the World Travel Market in London.
From the outset, the Venus founders decided to create a quality concept in the service, food and retail goods provided which encompassed their keen interest in environmental issues and the desire to use as much organic and local produce as possible. The importance of corporate responsibility towards achieving positive environmental impacts and community benefits was fully acknowledged. This concept was to set Venus apart from the standard beach offering in the UK. Once the operational elements were achieved, the company started to enhance the product offering through organic and local purchasing
The Venus business philosophy ensures that customer’s needs are balanced carefully with environmental and social considerations.
Venus support of the environment at Tolcarne Beach includes:
• Water flow reducing taps
• Daily electric monitoring
• Cardboard, glass & oil recycling
• Biodegradable & environmentally friendly produced packaging
• Inter company mail, time sheets, daily reports etc all run through dedicated servers saving paper
• Chlorine & toxic free chemicals
• Energy efficient equipment & menus
Venus supports the local community by:
• Using 11 Cornish quality suppliers in 2005. Venus is continually looking for Cornish suppliers that can meet the company demand for high quality ingredients and volumes. These include Cornish blue and brie cheeses, Cornish pasties, Cornish water and organic Cornish eggs, milk & Cornish Legend Luxury Ice Cream.
• Using local, organic and Fair Trade produce wherever available; annual menu changes offer healthier options to customers with vegan, vegetarians and gluten free choice of products.
• A display map for outside the Venus premises showing the names, contact details and location of the Cornish food and drink suppliers.
• The production of a Newquay Beach Guide that is published in the 2005 Newquay Guide and on its website, www.venuscompany.co.uk
• Membership of the Newquay Association of Tourist Attractions and support of the local Newquay Tourist information Centre.
• The Venus Café and Beach Shop at Tolcarne Beach are open daily for 8 months of the year with weekend opening in winter for the benefit of local beach lovers and to help address tourism seasonality.
Venus supports the local economy through:
• Recruitment and training of local management and seasonal staff.
• A purchasing policy of buying Cornish local, tasty, healthy product rather than the cheapest. In 2004, Venus purchased quality local goods and services to an approximate value of £55,000. Venus sources the finest local products and ingredients, often purchased at 50% more cost. However, the company wishes to be associated with brand quality.
Venus promotes visitor understanding of sustainable tourism:
• Potential visitors to Venus facilities at Tolcarne can learn about the company’s mission and best practice through information on display, promotional leaflets, menu boards, the Venus website and through conversation exchange with staff at the site.
• The website has a message board for customers to get involved and feedback their comments on Venus sites and products.
• A children’s educational colouring sheet aims to educate children on some of the marine wildlife to found in and around Newquay’s coastline and how to follow the seashore code.
December 2005