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Burlap innovator bags green win; coffee sacks find new life

A Victoria coffee roaster’s determination to reduce its carbon footprint even further has kicked a Duncan woman’s home-based business into a new gear.
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Duncan-based Jackie Kitzler with the coffee sacks she uses to make purses and totes.

A Victoria coffee roaster’s determination to reduce its carbon footprint even further has kicked a Duncan woman’s home-based business into a new gear.

Island Java Bags, which makes purses, totes and messenger bags from burlap coffee sacks, has increased its production by 30 per cent and is poised for more growth with the addition of a new industrial sewing machine provided by Oughtred Coffee & Tea.

“I’m so lucky,” said Java Bags owner Jackie Kitzler, who started the company in 2010 to supplement her income. “Oughtred have been such a steady support. They have a lot of faith in us.”

Kitzler said the new machine has allowed her to hire a seamstress to help with production and incorporate new materials such as reclaimed leather into the designs.

Oughtred has been carbon neutral for five years. In that time, the firm has avoided creating 595 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is equal to 136 cars driving for a year. The company has been giving Island Java Bags its used burlap since it started.

Donating the bags further reduces the roaster’s waste as Oughtred has had trouble recycling and composting them due to the bags’ fibrous strength and the sheer volume — about 165 bags per week.

“They are a large roaster that doesn’t want to throw them away and into the waste stream, while for me it’s a steady supply of bags,” said Kitzler.

With the industrial machine, more sacks can be turned away from landfills and incinerators and into what’s become a hot item at farmer’s markets in the Cowichan Valley. Kitzler said she has a booth at two large markets each week as well as the Cedar farmers’ market and has seen sales of the bags soar to as many as 100 in each of the busy summer months. The bag sell for between $20 and $45.

“It’s been phenomenal. It started as a supplemental income, but it’s grown so much,” she said.

Oughtred tapped its Oughtred Coffee Trust to purchase the new machine. “We strive to build strong communities through our trust. Supporting Island Java Bags is a perfect fit; we get to help create jobs and reduce waste,” said John Oughtred.

Kitzler has been tied to Oughtred from the start when she began casting around for burlap sacks when she returned to the Island after living in Portland, Oregon.

“I have a son with special needs, and I thought [the Cowichan Valley] would be the better choice for him. It’s calmer,” she said. “Portland is a very green place and bags like I make are very common there, but I didn’t see them here.

“I decided I was going to just do this, so I took the leap.”

An online search put her in touch with Jill Doucette, founder of Synergy Enterprises, a firm that works with companies to improve their green practices. Synergy made the connection with Oughtred, which was driving to become a zero-waste roaster.

“Meeting Jill was fantastic, she was such a help,” said Kitzler.

Synergy helped bring about the new machine after asking Kitzler what she needed to grow her business. “A simple investment like a sewing machine may not seem like much, but it can create new jobs and help us reduce waste in the CRD,” said Synergy project manager Kayli Anderson. “We hope to see more of Victoria’s strong business community helping social enterprises get their start.”

Java Bags is not sitting on its laurels, and is working on a project that will find a use for the five-pound foil bags Oughtred uses to package its roasted coffee.

The bags, once collected back from cafes and restaurants, are being turned into woven grocery shopping bags. Kitzler intends to have them available for sale at Christmas markets.

She sees the growing enterprise as both a win for the environment and her family.

“For my son, it’s been exactly what he needed. His growth and his confidence has skyrocketed since I’ve been home and able to spend the time with him that he needs,” she said, adding the goal when starting the company was to reducing waste. “That’s been extremely important. It’s part of who we are as a company — keeping things out of the waste stream.”

That means measures such as using roll-end materials to line the bags and second-hand buttons.

“Every bag is unique. I may get 30 of the same bags, but they are never cut the same, the buttons are never the same and you will never get the same liners. In this cookie-cutter day, it’s neat to be different.”

aduffy@timescolonist.com