Hong Kong’s Mana! restaurant group has opened the “first ever” vegan coffee shop in the territory – Mana! Cafe.
The Mana! Fast Slow Food concept is the brainchild of Bobsy Gaia, who founded Life Cafe in 2004. Gaia left Life Cafe (which closes its doors tomorrow, as Inside Retail Hong Kong reported yesterday) in 2009 to develop Mana! which opened its first restaurant in 2012.
The new cafe rendition at 8 Tai On Terrace, next to Yoga Bam Bam on Pound Lane, celebrated its official opening last week after a soft opening earlier in the year.
Gaia says Mana! essentially taps into the opportunity of a lack of fast food outlets that make a difference.
“The premise behind Mana fast slow food and the oxymoron of the name [means] why does fast food have to be highly processed,… unhealthy food? Why can’t fast food be the opposite?”
Gaia says from the beginning Mana! has operated on three foundations: a pyramid of people, planet and profits.
The company is committed to zero food waste – any waste left over at the end of the day is converted to compost.
“As a business, you have to be respectful of your waste. You have to be as proud of your front door as much as our back door,” says Gaia.
The company sources as much produce locally as it can – with 500 organic farms in the territory there is a ready supply. But not all ingredients can be sourced at home and Gaia imports from the US, Australia, the UK and Lebanon amongst other sources.
The food is entirely vegetarian and includes flatbreads, cakes, pizzas, smoothies, entrees and salads.
Mana! Cafe: Hong Kong’s ‘first ever’ vegan coffee shop
