Buddha Bowl
HN talked with Cynthia Farhan, Co-founder of Green Junkie, Lebanon’s latest eatery serving top quality locally-sourced nutrient-rich meals that will leave you feeling happily-energetic.
What distinguishes the store from others serving something similar?
At Green Junkie®, we craft great-tasting, wholesome meals that are good for your body and the planet. We constantly obsess over sourcing the highest quality local ingredients, so we can craft and deliver all-natural, nutrient-rich food right to your doorstep – fresh and ready to eat every day. We use nutrient-dense local ingredients to nourish your body while doing the least harm to the planet. We recycle most of our waste, donate extra meals, use compostable and recyclable containers and deliver in reusable 100% recyclable bags. The core values that distinguish Green Junkie are:
- Clean food made from scratch
Clean eating involves consuming whole, unprocessed foods as close to its natural state as possible (most of the time). We prepare the food using nutrient-preserving techniques.
- Staying true to roots
We source locally grown food whenever possible. With this in mind, all our fruits and vegetables are Grade A, locally grown, sourced daily from local farmers and small producers from different regions of Lebanon. All our chicken and meat is locally farmed too and we do not add any unnatural preservatives in our food.
- Reducing environmental impact
Eating controlled portions as well as seasonal and local ingredients can significantly reduce waste and hence our carbon footprint by up to 10%. In addition to using less, we can shrink our environmental footprint by choosing reusable and recyclable products.
What are some of the challenges faced and how are you resolving these?
One of our biggest challenges is in educating the community about the core values of our concept. It simultaneously is our biggest pleasure, considering that it is at the heart of what we do! We continuously communicate these values at gatherings and events and through our social media platforms in the effort to portray clean healthy eating and sustainable living as being simple, trendy and affordable.
What are some of the major highlights you are pushing for?
We locally source our ingredients from small farmers and producers. Although it took us a while to settle with the right people in terms of quality and consistency of the products, it is very rewarding once we found the right partners and, believe it or not, there is a considerable number of professionals in Lebanon that are still in the shadow, and who, like us, are keen on serving top quality products. We pride ourselves to be an environmentally sustainable kitchen. We currently work hand in hand with NGOs that assist in our waste management initiative and help us to reach our ultimate goal of becoming a zero waste kitchen.
