Since the opening of the first Le Pain Quotidien bakery, organic has always been a priority and guaranteeing quality product is key to us. This goes hand in hand with choosing products and ingredients that are grown from organic farming. Choosing for organic is a promise of a better taste, seasonal and healthy products. It’s also taking care of nature and of the earth. Organic is important for us. Are you ready to take a small step? 

What does organic mean? 
In organic farming, farmers work respectfully of nature. They are always looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact and strive to contribute to preserve the environment and not to harm it by growing products with chemicals and pesticides, additives or GMO. Organic farming allows to produce and grow products ecologically without exhausting the natural resources and to guarantee more harvests in the future.  

Growing our share of organic
Today, choosing for organic ingredients is not always easy nor is it always feasible. However, we are not giving up and are always looking for ways to increase our share of organic in our sourcing. We are strong believers that if the demand for organic products increases, more and more farmers will take a step and will turn their farms to organic farming by leaving pesticides behind.  

This thinking is also involved in all of our decisions : can we recycle or re-use a product? How can we do this?  

Organic flour 
In our bakeries, we exclusively sell organic breads. To do so, we have searched organic flour – not an easy one to find. But our breads are the living proof of the wonders that organic farming can do: they are so much tastier. They will give you a longer lasting feeling of fulfillment and can be kept longer. All of this is directly linked to the quality of the flour used that only organic farming can provide.

Would you like to join the movement ? Let us know what products you’re purchasing which could be organic? Would you like to learn more about the differences between organic and conventional farming? We highly recommend you the documentary “Kiss the ground” to know more! #smallsteps 

Veganism has skyrocketed in recent years, with more and more of us choosing to adopt a plant-based diet. An increasing amount of people globally are choosing to embrace this lifestyle. According to a recent survey, more than 3.5 million British people now identify as vegan, while almost 250,000 omnivores gave Veganuary a go in 2020. 

The driving shift towards veganism is based on three key factors:

1. People are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact.
2. More consumers are conscious of the treatment of animals when producing food.
3. People believe veganism is an investment in their personal health.

This change in attitude towards our diet has not gone unnoticed by us. As a matter of fact, we’ve been serving up plant-based food and drink within our bakeries for the past 30 years. 

As part of our small steps campaign, we invite our guests and customers to eat one vegan dish a week. Because it’s not only good for you, but also for the planet. Did you know that the impact of 1 million people taking part in Veganuary is equal to:

• 103,840 tonnes of CO2eq saved, equivalent to driving around the world almost 15,000 times
• 405 tonnes of PO43-eq (eutrophication) saved, the same as 1,645 tonnes of sewage
• 6.2 million litres of water saved, the same as flushing the toilet almost half a million times or drinking 17.6 million cups of tea

And for these reasons (amongst others), we’ve been working hard on creating a new menu full of delicious vegan dishes. So, whether you’re after something hot or cold, breakfast or a sweet treat – we’ve got you covered. All our plant-based dishes are full of flavour and feature fresh seasonal produce.

Breakfast options range from a Parfait Bowl with coconut yoghurt, organic granola and berries  – to organic breads and Porridge with oats, rye and barley flakes, oat milk and fruit compote. For lunch or a light dinner, you can choose from a variety of homemade soups, salads and sandwiches, including our Miso Mushroom Tartine, Veggie Bowl, VLT Bun, Lentil & Roast Tomato Dhal or the already famous Spinach & Pine Nut Swirl.

Of course we also offer a selection of plant-based milks for hot drinks – as well as sweet treats including our signature cinnamon buns, chocolate & salted caramel tart and carrot cake.

We’ve made it easy for you to join us on the journey to eat healthier and vegan. The choice is yours. Are you taking this small step with us?

We know how important that first – and last – cup of coffee is. That’s why we spent months working on our beans, our baristas and our brew to bring you even better coffee. We’ve taken small steps to make a big difference on the freshness and flavour of our new coffee, ‘Blend 86’.

Our beans
Our beans are 100% Arabica – a species of coffee originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula or the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It’s the first species of coffee grown for over 1000 years and it produces better coffee (over Robusta) and contains less caffeine than other commercially cultivated species of coffee. Our beans have always been organic and ethically-sourced and this will never be compromised. 

Our blend
We’ve been experimenting and found the perfect combination made up of two coffees, a Peruvian and Colombian. Every coffee is given a cupping score which indicates the all-round level of quality for each coffee. The highest scoring coffee received a cupping score of 86 – putting it well within the bracket of ‘specialty coffee’ and amongst the top 5% of coffee in the world. 

Locally roasted
We roast twice a week with absolute precision: by origin, in small batches and packaged by hand to ensure the finest quality. 

Our brew and baristas
We’ve worked on our recipe and our serve. Coffee needs to be freshly ground to order and weighed. Attention to detail has been our main focus with our baristas and in their continued training. We have doubled the weight of coffee used per espresso. We measure exactly 19 grams ground coffee producing 35g espresso. We time the extraction and know the perfect Espresso takes 28 to 30 seconds.

The milk we use is organic and we’ve chosen to serve plant-based milk for free for our My Pain Quotidien Members – using Oatly Barista Edition which makes the best coffee drinks. We also changed our Soy milk to Bonsoy, who only use premium-quality organic golden soybeans and has been a barista top choice in Australia for decades.

Our serve
We tested every coffee cup we could get our hands on for what vessel was best for which coffee. We decided on handmade English crockery for our Cappuccino, Flat White and Americano, and glass cups for Espresso and Latte. The glass creates a different sensation as the coffee passes your lips: more elegant, more subtle, more refined. You can appreciate the delicate notes of the beans like you can a fine wine. 

Coffee is good for more than just waking you up in the morning. Before you toss used grounds, consider putting them to use in the garden, around the house or in bath and body products. Finding a second life for coffee grounds can help you save money and live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

And that’s exactly what we’re doing at Le Pain Quotidien. As part of our small steps campaign, we’re inviting you to join us in reusing our coffee grounds. Because as a matter of fact, coffee grounds are one thing that’s easy to reuse and recycle. Join us in taking small steps by collecting a free bag from your local bakery and give it a new life. From skincare to gardening, here’s 5 ways to reuse:

Homemade Fertiliser
To make a coffee fertiliser, mix old grounds with dead grass clippings, brown leaves, or dry straw and spread the mixture around acid-loving plants like azaleas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and roses. They will be thankful for the extra minerals contained in the coffee ground.

Odour Neutraliser
To neutralise food odours – be it in the fridge or a sport bag – fill a jar with grounds and place it, uncovered, at the back of the fridge or bag. Coffee grounds can also absorb the strong odours in your garbage. Just fill up an old pair of pantyhose with some dry coffee grounds, and hang the mixture on the inside of your trash can lid.

Make it shine
Coffee ground is your go-to when it comes to hard-to-wash kitchen utensils. The abrasive texture will help to get rid of sticky remains so sprinkle coffee grounds onto a scrub brush and use them as an abrasive to remove stuck-on food from pots, pans and utensils.

The smoother the better
Replace your store-bought exfoliator with coffee grounds. The abrasiveness of the grounds help remove dead skin cells, without irritating your face or body. To use, rub the grounds on in the shower and then wash them off with cool water.
Tip: Mix with a bit of water or coconut oil to have a natural exfoliant.

Furniture Fix
Make a thick paste by adding a bit of water to the ground and rub it onto the scratch. Let it sit for a while, then wipe the extra paste out until you reach the desired colour.