Sodexo Prestige opens ethical cafe at Apex in Bury St Edmunds

Sodexo Prestige has opened Aspretto, a new ethically focused café in the Apex in Bury St Edmunds, as part of the caterer's £7m contract with the St Edmundsbury Collection.

The 24-seat café, located in the foyer of the entertainment and community venue, serves triple-certified coffee that is Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and organic.

The coffee is also being sold through Sodexo's STOP Hunger initiative, which aims to tackle hunger, support nutritional diets and promote life skills in local communities. Aspretto staff also collect used coffee grounds and tea bags, which are then taken to Ickworth House and used as compost.

Sodexo Prestige invested around £40,000 in the café as part of the seven-year deal it signed with St Edmundsbury Borough Council last April to provide hospitality and catering at the Apex, the Athenaeum and Abbey Gardens. Event catering at Moyse's Hall Museum is also included in the agreement.

Richard Wheeler, account director for Sodexo Prestige, said: "As a company we are committed to offering high quality service with an innovative approach to outstanding local and ethically sourced food.

"We have spent a huge amount of time choosing our coffees and teas to ensure that they are the very best quality and have the best flavour."

By Janie Manzoori-Stamford

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