Not only is this little gem located in the alternative and hip area Stenschanze, but it is also Hamburg’s first Zero-Waste Café. I mean, how amazing is that?! You can enjoy a lovely coffee while doing something for the planet.

On that eventful Sunday stroll, I walked along the Schulterblatt, enjoyed the sun tickling my skin, while the wind annoyed the sh** out of me. I headed towards Feldstraße, where I was meant to pick up my cousin and a friend. We reserved a table beforehand because the sun was out – whenever that´s the case on a Sunday, cafés are just packed and it´s sometimes hard to get a seat and coffee-to-go wasn´t an option because it was too windy outside. We then walked about 2 minutes from the underground station to the café and entered the door at 4 pm sharp where we were welcomed by one of the café’s lovely waitresses who showed us our table right next to the window. Perfect!

And, as expected, apart from that one table that was reserved on my name, all the others were taken and the café was buzzing. But it had great vibes to it: there were families, groups of friends, people that read a magazine or a book, just people of all ages. The interior was simple but had vintage vibes to it and playful details, such as plants, candles, and books. An eye-catcher was the mosaic flooring in the entrance area and the slogan “Because Earth Is Beautiful”. It felt very cozy and very well thought through. I loved it.

Before my cousin, my friend and I got to order from the café’s rich menu, we had to catch up after not having seen each other for a while. I went on holiday to England where I made a lot of memories that needed sharing. (If that is something you´re intrigued by, no worries my friends, you´ll be able to read my travel entry about my trip to Brighton, UK, here soon).

We obviously also talked about the philosophy behind In Guter Gesellschaft. Zero-Waste is a big statement to make and probably almost impossible to achieve completely. But the café successfully tries to avoid environmentally unfriendly waste and reuses the ‘rubbish’ they produce. Degradable litter, for example, will be transformed into fertilizer, the paper gets recycled and glass is reused. Their products are always freshly made, almost always regional, partly organic and never in packages. We agreed that it’s a great concept and that they should be a role model for more cafés in general. It is easier to avoid waste than one would think and we should all follow the café’s good example by not (over-)using paper towels or straws. As an alternative, you could just bring your own cup for a coffee to go. It´s as easy as that and in the long run, benefits our planet earth.

We then ordered green tea, mint and ginger tea, carrot cake, chocolate tart and I had a Cappuccino and Avocado and Eggs on toast, which they ironically called Brighton. I was meant to have it, I guess. I absolutely enjoyed it. I´ll definitely be back, with my own cup.

Laura was listening to Jacob Banks “Mercy” while writing this article.