How can a business that is already ESG-focused take its operations to the next level? St Remio did just that. 

The brainchild of co-founders Julia Tink and Trent Knox, St Remio is a leading coffee supplier that was built to bring sustainable coffee to the forefront. 

A trip to Rwanda in 2015 opened their eyes to the people behind the coffee. Both realised they could be doing more in the sustainability space to pivot peoples’ thinking around coffee from commodity towards community. 

By doing that, St Remio challenges the industry to start looking and being more accountable in its coffee choices, breaking the cycle of poverty at origin. 

“We exist to bridge the gap between the coffee farmer and the consumer. We're part of the positive coffee movement,” Julia says. 

“We met coffee farmers back in 2015 who didn't even understand what coffee was. If you don't understand what you're growing and how it's consumed, you don't understand what its value is.  

“So we're existing to really challenge people and to also push the industry to make substantial changes, because if we love coffee, we collectively have to start changing how we look at it and start to take responsibility for our actions and making sure that the most important part of the supply chain, which is the coffee farmer, can be profitable and successful within coffee.” 

Since being established, St Remio has undertaken broad projects supporting female farming cooperatives in Rwanda, including funding a cupping lab, land, coffee nurseries, vegetable seedlings and training. 

For Julia, St Remio was never an “ESG brand”, it just so happened to be established on a social cause to improve outcomes for all in the coffee chain and ensuring the future of coffee. 

But a Sustainable Business & ESG Workshop delivered by the Victorian Chamber and Brownee taught her that businesses of all kinds can continue to improve and refine their processes – internally and externally. 

“The ESG assessment program is a great tool for businesses to get on board. When you're wanting to move or make a shift into that ESG space, it can be very overwhelming.  

“But what it does is provide you with tools and systems and consultants and helps direct where you can go in a palatable way to make sure that you can start making meaningful steps within your businesses.  

“And for me, I found that really exciting and very engaging and a great step forward to the future of what businesses should be working towards and who they should become.” 

Some of the things St Remio has worked towards is consolidating its manufacturing into its Coburg North facility and extending its certifications into safety and environment. 

“We've got very big ambitions to be an international brand, and we're already selling overseas. We are going to continue to evolve and grow and grow as the business continues to mature, and we need to make sure we've got programs in place that can grow with us,” she says. 

How the Victorian Chamber can help

Are you looking to understand your businesses sustainability and social standing but don’t know where to start? Demystify the concepts of ESG and start to explore, measure and track actions through the Brownee Discovery and Action tool.  

Find out more via the Victorian Chamber’s Sustainable Business & ESG Workshop.