On May 4th 2016 Antz opened up their third local outlet called "Antz HQ" at 732 Albany Highway. But, as most of you know, this particular coffee shop was a bit different. Antz HQ does not offer takeaway/disposable coffee cups. Instead customers need to bring their own reusable cup, purchase a reusable cup in store (which includes a free coffee) or sit down and enjoy their coffee in the cafe. This concept was met with doubt from the community; How would people react? Can you run a successful coffee shop without the "convenience" of disposable cups? Would they survive?
Well a year has passed and the results are clear: Antz HQ is a successful and busy coffee shop - and hasn't used a single takeaway cup. They have saved over 71,000 cups from landfill and have saved over $10,000 by not buying the disposable cups. Customers seem pretty open to the concept which we have witnessed for ourselves.
Owner, Craig Muzeroll, said that before opening Antz HQ he discussed the no-disposable-cups concept with his staff and asked if they were willing to sell this concept to customers. Craig is quick to point out that the success of Antz HQ was a team effort and credits his staff for making it work.
Antz Cafes Developer Benn Rayner said that introducing this new concept to customers was easier than he thought “but we couldn’t have done it without the support of the community”.
And do they think this has made a positive impact on Antz customers? Benn believes this initiative has definitely encouraged customers to be more sustainable outside the coffee shop, with customers claiming to have gone on to purchase their own reusable water bottles and more.
Antz has ensured this concept doesn’t just stop at the counter, with suppliers being specifically chosen for their ability to deliver products with minimal plastic and wastage.
We're super proud that this national coffee shop first came from our very own Vic Park.
Antz Inya Pantz
965 Albany Highway, Victoria Park
968 Albany Highway Victoria Park
732 Albany Highway Victoria Park