Venus Cafes

a company with a mission

Definitely not just another café – this progressive café and retail company has outlets at five of the most stunning locations in Devon and Cornwall.  As one of the early pioneers of Visitor Payback Schemes they have demonstrated conclusively that customers welcome the opportunity to protect the beautiful coastline and countryside of the Southwest.

The Venus Company was established in 1995 by Michael Smith who explains the business ethos, “Our mission is to be the greenest beach shop and cafe operator in the UK, and our attitude to almost every business decision flows from this. We work hard to minimise our impact on the environment, from using solar panels to recycling, carrying out regular litter collection and buying non-toxic cleaning products.”

Venus was one of the first Devon businesses to establish a Visitor Payback Scheme, raising many thousands of pounds by adding 5p on the price of every cup of tea and chocolate flake sold.  In the early days these funds were given to the South Hams  'On The Right Tracks' programme and helped to conserve the area's historic green lanes.

Venus has now teamed up with the Devon & Cornwall Wildlife Trusts to establish The Venus Beach Wildlife Fund, a dedicated programme that funds educational materials and programmes showing how to enjoy the beach without doing damage to the environment.  They aim to raise £30,000 over the next 5 years to fund this work.

The Venus Company’s incredible, green journey has been recognised with many awards. Venus is a multiple Gold award winner in the Green Tourism Business Scheme, overall winner in the Devon Environmental Business Initiative awards in 2003 and an award winner in the national Business Commitment to the Environment awards in 2004. They won the Gold Award for Sustainable Tourism in the 2008 SW Tourism Excellence Awards 2008 and topped this by winning the national title in April 2009.

And Michael’s advice to tourism businesses in Devon?  “Don't think: 'I haven't got time to get involved’. Even on a small level, you can make a difference to the environment and your local community."

www.venuscompany.co.uk