Silo, the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant has returned to Crowd2Fund to run a donation-based campaign to acquire machinery that they can use to repurpose glass from used wine bottles and turn it into fine glass porcelain.
They are seeking to raise £10,000 in order to purchase a bottle ‘crusher’ and jewellery polish to create fine ‘porcelain’ from the wine bottles used in the restaurant. This is Crowd2Fund’s first campaign where they are relying solely on the
kindness of the general public and those who relate to the cause.
The Brighton-based restaurant last used Crowd2Fund four years ago when they successfully raised £48,000 of equity finance to incorporate a working relationship with The Tres Hombres, a specialist shipping company which exclusively transports cargo with wind and sea power.
Of Crowd2Fund, Silo Owner and Head Chef Doug McMaster, said, “We loved working with Crowd2Fund on our first raise. They saw potential in me and my plan for Silo when most other investors didn’t. I admire the drive for
innovation and tenacity that makes Crowd2Fund so successful.”
“The fact that Crowd2Fund have decided to do their first-donations based campaign with us shows their ongoing commitment to businesses that have raised funds with them before, and care about their continued development and success.”
Silo’s Upcycling Ambition
Glass is the last remaining component at Silo that is recycled. While these efforts are positive, recycling still has a negative impact on the environment due to the significant carbon footprint generated by melting the glass.
Using specialist machinery, the bottles will be ground back to sand - a symbolic first step to try and reduce the 28 billion glass bottles that end up in landfill each year.
The process to crush the bottles and turn them into crockery is a unique concept which McMaster has developed in collaboration with potter Mark Caivol.
“The definition of upcycling is to give material a greater value. Turning our waste wine bottles into fine crockery would be a remarkable increase of value. Comparatively, this idea is the same as turning food waste into compost. If we can
raise the money to buy the equipment, this will take ‘zero-waste’ to a whole new level.
About Silo
Silo is the brainchild of Doug McMaster, a young chef who has worked at top restaurants including St. John Bread and Wine in London. “Silo was conceived from a desire to innovate the food industry whilst demonstrating respect: respect for the environment, respect for the way our food is generated and respect for the nourishment given to our bodies.”
“This means that we create everything from its whole form cutting out food miles and over-processing while preserving nutrients and the integrity of the ingredients in the process,” says McMaster.
Campaign Rewards
Individuals who pledge to the Crowd2Fund campaign will receive a range of rewards including discount vouchers for Silo as well as free porcelain and ceramic crockery items created from the new process.
Investors who donate £100 or more will also receive a one-hour session during which they will be able to manufacture their own cup at Mark Caviolo’s Potters Thumb pottery.
Accolades
Since opening Silo in Brighton’s North Laines in 2014, the restaurant has been recognised as the Observer Food Monthly Most Ethical Restaurant. McMaster has also won the BBC’s Young Chef of the Year award.
McMaster has been preaching his zero-waste, “pre-industrial” food system philosophy years before policymakers, the media, and big business began lobbying to reduce waste. More recently, his thought leadership has been highlighted by his TEDx Talk, “Waste is a failure of the imagination.”
You can contribute to the campaign here:
www.crowd2fund.com/campaign/silo-brightonlimited/brightons-zero-waste-restaurant-paves-the-way-in-glass-reprocessing
