FOODSTORY was set up by Sandy McKinnon and Laura Bishop in 2013 via a kickstarter campaign. To celebrate its fifth anniversary next month, they have set up a second site, Foodstory 2, which is a zero-waste cafe and shop. It has zero packaging and food waste is taken away by a company to be turned into compost and sold to farmers.

Name: Sandy McKinnon

Age: 33

Position: Co-founder

WHAT’S YOUR BUSINESS CALLED?

Foodstory

WHERE IS IT BASED?

Aberdeen

WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?

FOODSTORY was set up in 2013. We bought a small site and the name. We spent £8000 of our £12,000 budget. My business partner and I came up with clear values. We were planning to take over the site within a month but due to a leasing issue there was no space so we had to find a new site round the corner. We only had £4000 left and had to turn to crowdfunding which we started in 2012.

At this point [in 2013] not many Scots had heard of it. The goal was to raise £8000 in 30 days but we ended up raising £10,000. In the best crowdfunded places in GQ we are the only place outside of London on the list, so that was cool.

When we signed the lease we couldn’t afford anything so we had to build the cafe ourselves and with volunteers. All the materials were sourced from the Aberdeen oil industry, such as benches and recycled material. We have now gone from being a 30-seat cafe to

a 90 seat cafe.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

FOODSTORY has always been focused on the environment. The menu is mainly vegan and a bit vegetarian, for environment and health reasons. Our coffee comes from zero-waste containers and our milk comes from glass bottles. At the shop, the benefits of zero waste are bigger [than the cafe]. All veg is pre-packaged in supermarkets. We offer no-packaging veg boxes which people like. The shop is an easier concept for the customers to get around. They can buy oats and nutritional yeast in bulk.

In the cafe, customers have to bring their own cup and we sell mugs for £1.50 if they forget to do that. If they don’t bring a takeaway tub, we have plastic ones they can use that people donate to us when they get a Chinese takeaway. People have to get used to the idea of bringing a cup and takeaway tub.

We also have a washing area for customers where they can rinse out tubs and cups. Customers need to think ahead. We want to make zero-waste easy. So far the biggest challenge is people forgetting cups.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?

OUR philosophy is that it’s not what you do it’s why you do it. We believe that’s where our business should go but it’s also where the world is going. At the start, the cafe was not 100% vegetarian or vegan. We had local salmon and bacon. This slowly changed when people would try the vegetarian option their partner ordered and would order it for themselves the next time they came in.

We are ahead of the curve with our zero-waste cafe. People were positive and came with their cups and were queueing outside on the day it opened. People are becoming more and more disgusted about the impact of waste on the world. Here you

can have lunch but also do a bit for the planet.

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

IT is hard to say. We don’t have a specific target market like other trendy coffee shops in the UK. We’re not cliquey. We have large tables where people who are in early retirement sit beside students and young professionals.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

I LOVE working as part of a team. We have 30 staff. I like creating new ideas and seeing them come to life.

It is very likely we will follow staff suggestions. There are lots of experienced people on the coffee side of things and now we are well-known in Aberdeen for coffee. It is so exciting to see stuff you envisage happen. It’s not about the money but about the journey.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?

WE are currently developing a new five and 10-year plan. We may be launching something next month. We might set up abroad or in Edinburgh soon. There could also be a food podcast or cookbook.