The intention was to pop in, have a coffee and a sticky beak but plonking down onto the stool next to Danny Colls made it a whole other experience – and wow, what an experience.

Silo by Joost is the latest venture by Joost Bakker, this time teaming with Danny Cols, a fellow eco-advocate and self confessed Joost lover. “My business partner is a genius,” says Colls of Joost. “He has the guts and passion to believe you can change the world.”

Colls passion is equally contagious and as he takes us through a tour of the recently opened ‘zero-waste’ cafe it becomes apparent that there really is a way to imagine a world without waste.

Chef Douglas McMaster, recent winner of the Young British Foodies award for most Irreverent Chef, is in charge of the seasonal menu made of locally sourced produce and in-house milled flour. “It’s like opening a cafe 80 years ago,” Colls says. “Back to basics.” Only 80 years ago they didn’t have the cool waste dehydrator that converts 100 litres of waste into 10 litres of clean nutrient fertiliser which is then delivered to the farmer to put back onto their crops. Shulz fresh milk is delivered in returnable stainless steel pails, Hepburn Springs in recyclable ego kegs. Coffee is made on a Wega Green Line coffee machine and the kitchen and dining come bar area share the same space .

It’s like going backwards to go forwards to create a world that truly is waste free…

Where: 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Phone: 9600 0588
Open: Mon-Wed 6.30am-3.30pm, Thurs-Sat 6.30am-10.30pm
Details: silobyjoost.com