Environmental Policy

Hazel Mountain Chocolates is committed to producing chocolate products in a environmentally sensitive way, ensuring the standards of the Burren Geopark and our community are meet for a sustainable future.

Building:

We operate from a green roof building, this impacts positively on our building’s energy consumption by improving the roofs thermal performance.
Reducing the energy consumption of Hazel Mountain Chocolates buildings will reduce our contribution to climate change.
Our Green roof increases biodiversity and offers a unique habitat for wildlife.
Highlights to the public that it is possible to create a structurally sound green roof on a A roof building.

Packaging:

Hazel Mountain Chocolates has introduced packaging initiatives such as recyclable chocolate bar boxes, zero use of plastic in our praline boxes, gift packaging that is reusable.
In our shop there is no plastic, we use wrapping paper and paper bags. And when handling chocolate, our staff use cloth gloves rather than plastic.
Our logo features a Burren wild goat, allowing us to both highlight and educate people on the diverse fauna of the Burren.

Suppliers:

We only source our cocoa and chocolate products for ethically sound producers that excludes child labour. We established good relationships with small farmers and work with them through direct trade.
Hazel Mountain Chocolates aims to source within our community creative and natural ingredients for our chocolate products.
We recycle all of our plastic bottles, cardboard, milk containers once a fortnight through approved handler.

Staff:

Its is the role of our staff to ensure that visitors to our shop / mirco-factory leave with a positive and clear impression of the Burren, and what it means to handcraft food.
Our staff are very involved, and offer welcome suggestions on how we can continue to improve our workplace and work practices to benefit the environment, and community.
Hazel Mountain Chocolates aims to hire locally and continually to up skill our staff.

Products:

Hazel Mountain Chocolates have designed unique chocolate molds that highlight the unique flora and fauna of the Burren.
As our company names suggests we love hazel, our company educates and highlights this beautiful natural product found growing wild in the Burren.

Hazel Mountain Chocolates Environmental Action Plan:

Water.
Chocolate and water don’t mix, very limited water used in production.
Hazel Mountain Chocolates been located at the bottom of Turlough Mountain uses naturally soured surface water from the Mountain for its onsite toilet facilities.
Under sink heaters for water, only heated as needed.
Installed push taps at sinks, low flow taps and low flush systems to limit water wastage.
Created area of large peculation for treatment of waste water.
Reviewing of all pluming joints to ensure no water leakage.

Waste.
Using recyclable chocolate product packaging, in shop policy of no plastic, we use paper bags, and staff use cloth gloves rather than plastic.
Increased storage space to accommodate bulk orders thus reducing transport mileage and unit packaging.
We are working on encourage customers to purchase our chocolate pralines and truffles in a reusable wooden chocolate box. On return visits these boxes will be refilled at a discount.
Our waste water treatment system is checked monthly and will be de-sludge once a year, by an approved provider. To ensure our treatment system works efficiently we only use environmental friendly cleaning products.

Energy.
We put our toilet block on independent in house electricity circuit allowing us to determine when toilet block needs lighting.
Added windows to allow natural lighting.
Hazel Mountain Chocolates building has green roof, this impacts positively on our building’s energy consumption by improving the roofs thermal performance.
Use of low energy light-bulbs.
Working on having shift work chocolate manufacturing on off peak electricity times
We are reviewing electricity suppliers to establish sustainable sourcing.

Green Purchasing.
We use eco friendly cleaning products.
We source our raw materials for production from fair trade and ethically source the finest organic cocoa beans, ensuring that we work with companies that offer the farmers a fair price for their cocoa.
We are sourcing naturally produced wild Burren ingredient such as wild juniper berries and hazel nuts.
Working on direct purchasing from farms for our core chocolate ingredients.

Sustainable Transport.
Provide information on sustainable transportation on our web site.

Contribution to Conservation.
Planting of native hazel trees worth 300euro.

Education.
Offering daily chocolate presentations informing visitors of the Burren and is natural heritage, the story on hazel in the Burren and encouraging them to adhere to the leave no trace message.

How to get here:

350 route http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1398958081-350.pdf
For detailed schedule check www.buseireann.ie