| dc.description.abstract | Increased consumption of goods and resources and problems with the environment has creat-ed a need for sustainable business operations. The global food system is responsible for ap-proximately 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This study focused on the coffee shop sector which is a massive network all around the world but there isn’t much data available for sustainable operations and sustainable business models in this business area.
Business model canvas and sustainable business models can be used as a help to innovate and improve company sustainability. The purpose of this study was to describe sustainability and innovation possibilities in the coffee shop sector from the business model point of view. The aim was to help the coffee shop sector to implement sustainability more comprehensive-ly. Case study was used as a research method and the sample size was one company. The data was collected with semi-structured interviews from the case company, a Finnish coffee shop chain.
The research questions were as following;
1. How is sustainability of a coffee shop sector evaluated from the business model point of view?
2. How innovation practices can promote sustainability in the coffee shop sector?
3. Describe what are the main areas of sustainability in the coffee shop sector?
According to the results of this study business models are not in active use in the coffee shop sector even though they could offer good possibilities to enhance the company operations. Using a business model canvas can help to identify the processes and stakeholders that are supporting and limiting sustainability in a company. Moreover, sustainable innovations in the coffee shop sector can be increased by building a diverse workforce, encouraging em-ployees to innovate, reserving time to try new things, educating employees on innovation and sustainability, and working together with other companies. Lastly, sustainability in the coffee shop sector can be improved thorough five main areas; by taking time for sustainabil-ity and putting it into strategic decision making, engaging all employees to sustainability, co-operating with sustainable partners, through sustainable business processes, and by reporting the process.
As the food sector is rather traditional and known for not using innovation actively in its all forms, there is room for more research on how innovation could be implemented better in the business area. What comes to sustainability, there are still companies that haven’t considered sustainability in their operations which suggests a need for more education and guidance on sustainability. Moreover, models for individual business areas (e.g. coffee shop sector) on what to consider when it comes to sustainability could help to get the process started.
Keywords: Business model, sustainable business model, coffee shop, café, bakery, food sec-tor, sustainability, sustainable business, and innovation. | |
