Community, Coffee, and Cutting Waste: Grounded MCR’s Story
Four years ago, Levenshulme couple Kerry and Nat Lobel started serving coffee and homemade cake from a bright yellow trike, bringing a splash of joy to Manchester’s parks. What began as a lockdown idea has now grown into Grounded MCR CIC, a thriving social enterprise with a brand-new café in Cringle Park.
Housed in a converted 40-foot shipping container, the space has been designed with the community and the planet in mind. Alongside serving coffee, cakes, and fresh meals, the café focuses on:
- Creating dishes from rescued food that would otherwise go to landfill by partnering with FareShare GM.
- Running a zero-waste shop to help customers cut down on single-use packaging, including offering BORRO cups.
- Providing space for local makers to showcase and sell their products.
- Offering training and opportunities for young people and vulnerable adults.
Bringing BORRO to Levenshulme Park
When Grounded MCR heard about BORRO, they saw a chance to tackle another challenge: disposable cups.
“As a social enterprise, we’re always looking for ways to make a positive impact locally. The returnable cups are such an easy win to cut waste while looking after our community spaces.”
– Nat Lobel, Grounded MCR
Since joining BORRO, the café has offered customers an easy alternative to single-use takeaway cups. They’ve also brought BORRO cups along to community events, including Manchester City Council’s School Street Closure pilot at Beaver Road School, St’ Marys Summer Festival and WestFest.
“We’ve loved working with BORRO cups. The design is striking, they’re a real conversation starter, and most people really enjoy using them. The feedback has been overall positive, from old and new customers and brand users.”
– Nat Lobel, Grounded MCR
By making reuse visible in different settings, Grounded MCR has sparked conversations about waste reduction across the city and helped make a real difference.
Looking Ahead
Grounded MCR’s story shows how small businesses and social enterprises can play a big role in driving change. By combining community values with practical sustainability solutions, they prove that reuse doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be simple, joyful, and effective.
“We’ve had a really busy summer, and we’d like to dedicate more comms and promotional space to BORRO. Once we’ve reorganised our space for winter, we will do a bigger push. We’ve found selling the concept has been easier at events, and it’ll be interesting to see how newer café customers respond when we push it more.”
– Nat Lobel, Grounded MCR
At BORRO, we’re excited to partner with Grounded MCR as they lead the way in creating a café culture that’s innovative, responsible, and full of community spirit. You can support the café and follow their journey on Instagram @GroundedMCR to see their latest initiatives, events, and more.
