With sustainability becoming a driving force in how modern businesses are functioning, more and more companies are starting to implement eco-friendly practices in their day-to-day operations. Although, some companies are built with sustainability at the forefront of their identity.
lark, a Toronto-based bottle shop specializing in an array of beverages, is one of these businesses that is committed to sustainable practices. Not only is it implemented in every corner of their company, but the entire business model and brand is built on sustainability.
“The world doesn’t need more stuff,” said Michelle Donnelly, the founder and creative director at lark. “I wanted to start a brand but didn’t want to make more stuff. There are too many things that exist on the planet and that’s what drove me to food and beverage.”
Being a consumable product, the only problem Donnelly had to solve was eliminating the packaging of food and beverage products. While she did a hefty amount of research into more sustainable options of single-use packaging, Donnelly learned that most of the time, it still contributed to wasteful practices.
“It’s still a real resource burn. Recycling is not the solution that corporations and the government want us to believe,” said Donnelly. “It’s a bit of a lie.”
To remedy this, lark decided to foster a ‘closed loop’ system that allows their customers to consume sustainable products with absolute ease. Their glass bottles are delivered to you in specialized crates that are easy to store and carry.
When you’ve finished all the beverages and are ready for your next order, lark picks up your empties when delivering your next set of bottles, creating a seamless and sustainable cycle.
No bottle is wasted either––with the closed-loop system, their bottles and crates are sterilized immensely, using eco-friendly disinfectants, like Bioxy Enviro, high-efficiency washers to ensure the cleanest and safest containers are being repurposed.
As of now, over 80 per cent of the company’s equipment is reclaimed or repurposed and all their decisions are made with sustainability in mind.
The original concept was to supply restaurants, bars and hotels premium quality beverages to use to minimize waste in the industry. When they had launched in March 2020, lark had already secured some solid partnerships with Toronto’s finest spots.
Like many, lark had to recoup amidst the coronavirus outbreak, which led to them pursuing a bigger commitment in the e-commerce side of their business.
“About 95 per cent of our business was going to be servicing restaurants and hotels,” said Donnelly. “We had to completely change our approach.”
With no e-commerce platform even built at the time, lark’s entire identity shifted, and resulted in building a strong and loyal online community in the making. Donnelly said that the success of its social media presence can be attributed to lark products being very ‘influencer friendly’.
Throughout the past year, Donnelly has also started to appreciate the type of business lark has morphed into as well. While the original concept has since become nearly obsolete for the time being, she has acknowledged the many positive outcomes from being a mainly B2C company.
“The silver lining is that we have a critical mass of home customers. We’ve built a highly-engaged community that really participates and is really into what we’re doing,” said Donnelly.
lark currently has a selection of house-made beverages available in a variety of curated packs. Alongside their still spring water and their ‘Bubbas’––a classic sparkling water, they also offer two sparkling waters augmented with florals. The ‘Inside Job’ is infused with bluebelle vine and a variety of herbs, giving it a blueish-purple hue, and is regarded as an eco-friendly alternative to cola.
The ‘Forever Endeavour’ is augmented with roselle, elderflower and citrus, which presents in a gorgeous pinkish colour. This bottle is noted to be an eco-friendly alternative to lemonade and ice tea.
Apart from still and sparkling waters, lark also has a new ginger ale alternative, which they call their ‘Ginger Sour’ and is better than any other option out there in almost every way.
Their ‘Air Oats’ is likely one of their most sustainable products––oat milk has become one of the most popular and eco-friendly dairy alternatives out there, so the decision to make and sell their own was a no-brainer.
While lark is still focused on servicing restaurants and hotels in the near future, the success of their direct-to-consumer business and e-commerce platform has definitely shaped them in the process. Donnelly says they are continuing to develop more beverages and products to offer in the future as well.
lark is conveniently located in Toronto and they deliver throughout the GTA for a flat fee.
You can learn more about lark and their products, as well as place an order through their website.
