At The Cozy Corner, we are very conscious of our environmental footprint as well as contributing to the community. As a result were are proud to share that in the 2023 Taupo Business Awards we came Highly Commended in "Excellence in Sustainability” and achieved a Finalist Placement in "Community Contributions.” Back in 2021 we came Highly Commended in “Excellence in Community Contributions” in the Taupo Business Awards. And our “Eco Warrior” chef Sasha was Highly Commended in the 2022 Stella Awards.

We have a number of practices in place to help “do our bit” and the whole team enjoys coming up with more ways to reduce our waste. We audit our rubbish and can proudly say we divert over 80% of our waste from landfill. Check out our community contributions below.

  • We avoid packaging that can’t be composted or recycled.

  • Always happy to donate vouchers supporting local community events.

  • Our bottled drinks offer are 99% glass bottles, we even offer still water in glass bottles enabling people to make the choice.

  • We are listed on Tap & RefillNZ mapping out for the public where they are welcome to refill their own water bottles free of charge.

  • Our food scraps are collected by a local farmer and our used coffee grounds are available for the local gardeners.

  • We fundraise and donate several times a year. In 2022 alone we donated over $4300 to various local and international charities.

  • Our “Yummy Stickers” from apples are donate to Waipahihi Primary School to earn sports equipment.

  • We operate a reusable cup scheme Make Waste History.

  • Our grill is scrubbed clean using pumice from the lake rather than using strong chemicals. 

  • Guests can “pay it forward” in aid of Taupo Hospice.

  • We shop local choosing New Zealand made products over imported where financially possible and we actively source produce that come in recyclable or reusable packaging.  

  • Students from ADDI gain work experience with us and we actively train and develop local youth making them respectful & excellent employees.

  • Rather than blasting the heater in the cold mornings we use the heat from the kitchen to warm the entire café. 

    We love with we do and we do it with love.

  • Menu is printed on unbleached recycled paper.

  • Waste cooking oil is collected for recycling (we don’t have a lot of it, so we donate it to the take away restaurant next door, they get paid for it by their contractor).

  • Our used napkins & paper waste is collected by Mynoke Worm farm.

  • We donate food and baking ingredients to Waipahihi Primary hoping all kid will get a chance to discover the joy of making their own food.