Some positives have emerged from the Covid pandemic. Whole new markets have been created from nothing, and organisations have shown commendable creativity and resilience in finding ways to survive and continue to trade. Those positive qualities will be needed for some time to come as we look to recover from the economic shocks we’ve seen in 2020, driven by lockdowns and restrictions on movement and activity.
Many restaurants around the world have been closed for much of this year. One response has been to develop take-away offerings, but for more formal restaurants in particular, that is often not logistically possible. However, some have responded by offering home delivery options, a move that has become a surprising success story for the sector.
Gauthier in London’s Soho is the favourite destination for my wife and I when we have something to celebrate. I’ve also enjoyed a couple of excellent small business events in their private rooms in past years. Great food – and good value too, certainly in terms of the “fine dining” market. Alexis Gauthier, the eponymous founder and head chef has always had a strong affinity with vegetarian and vegan cooking, so in late September, Gauthier started offering home-delivered vegan food boxes.
The vegan feast is an eight-course delight, innovative and tasty, and we loved his Truffle Risotto, “Faux Gras” and “Kind Shepherd’s Pie” (even if the chocolate mousse missed its dairy content somewhat, to my mind). The food is basically ready-cooked where relevant, but you might do the final assembly, for instance piping the mash onto the shepherd’s pie and sticking it in the oven.
In a note to his mailing list a couple of weeks ago, Alexis announced that he had sold over 2000 vegan boxes so far, in just a couple of months. They cost a very reasonable £75*, with more than enough food for four, so that’s £150K of revenue created.
I suspect profit margins are not huge given the raw materials, packaging (all recyclable of course) and the temperature-sensitive delivery, but it has also kept staff busy, helped to promote the Gauthier name, maybe picked up some new customers, and it is generally just a great example of an agile response to the crisis.
But what’s that all got to do with procurement with purpose, you may ask?
Well, 14.5% of “all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions” come from livestock farming globally. Agriculture, in particular that related to rearing and feeding animals (and birds) is a huge contributor to climate change, as well also deforestation and destruction of natural habitats and species. Cattle, raised for beef or milk, are the major culprits, representing around 65% of the total.
It’s not just the methane emitted by flatulent cattle we have to worry about, it’s the destruction of natural habitats to expand the amount of land used for livestock-based agriculture. That incudes not just the rain forest but also savannah, coastal reedbeds and other sensitive environments. And its not just for direct animal rearing – it might be riven by increased soya bean cultivation in order to produce feed for chickens and other livestock.
Many experts believe that if humankind doesn’t reduce the amount of meat (and dairy products) we consume, then we will fail to get close to our emissions targets or control climate change. Now I’m not vegan or even vegetarian, but even if we all just reduced the amount of meat we eat, that would be a useful contribution. At home, we certainly eat less than we did a few years ago, particularly red meat, and try to eat vegetarian a day or two a week. Actually, I think I could give up meat if I really needed too – cheese, I’m not so sure about.
There are issues with non-animal farming and production of vegetable products too. The boom in almond milk has put pressure on water supplies in growing areas such as California, for instance, and there would be tricky practical, health and economic issues if everyone stopped eating meat tomorrow. But a reduction in consumption may well be one of the whole range of measures that is needed if we are to get to grips with climate change.
I’m also not suggesting everyone can cook like Alexis Gauthier, or afford his excellent boxes, but he has shown that vegan food doesn’t have to be boring, tasteless or worthy. And becoming aware of the impact of the food we eat is something we can all do to contribute towards climate change risk mitigation, in a small way at least.
*This is good value, I reckon. Jason Atherton, the well-known multi-Michelin-starred chef, was charging £140 for his home delivered box - and that was for just two people!