City Perk Focuses on Sustainability

“It’s a bigger picture than me just trying to sell something,” said George Avila, co-owner with Lane Avery, of City Perk Bakery and Cafe in Aliso Viejo.

Avila and Avery live in a residence above City Perk in the Vantis City Walk Live/Work Community.

“We’re inviting people into our business, which is attached to our home, and giving them a great experience,” said Avila.

That experience includes City Perk’s signature Mexican mocha, its popular chocolate croissants and a lunch favorite—the chicken breast panini.

Another part of the experience is the friendly, respectful environment. A no-cell phone policy inside the café encourages conversation among customers, City Perk owners and staff.

At City Perk, there’s also a focus on sustainability. The food containers are all compostable, the coffee cups are made of 100 percent recycled paper and the sleeves on the cups are integrated into the cups to save paper.

“We try not to follow fads,” said Avila. “We try to do the research and see what works.”

Avery said they tried compostable cups, but stopped using them because they leaked and they were from Asia. Avery and Avila try to keep everything local.

“We’ve been able to employ local people, which is also sustainable,” said Avery.

Since Avery and Avila live above their café, they don’t use their car very often. Avila runs the café while Avery telecommutes for his employer from a home office in the residence upstairs.

“That’s probably the most sustainable part of it,” said Avery. “Everything else pales in comparison to that.”

Avila said that many of their customers are walk-in, and they support other independent businesses in the live/work community. He and Avery follow that concept.

“We get our haircuts here and we walk down to the Town Center,” Avila said.

Avery and Avila are committed to reducing their energy consumption. Recently, they replaced several small appliances with fewer larger ones, decreasing their electric bill by 25 percent.

“Each time you add a compressor, you increase your energy bill directly, and also indirectly, by generating heat and using more air conditioning,” Avery said.

To further reduce their energy use, Avery said they are looking into replacing their storefront windows with windows that open. They’d also like to install solar panels on the roof.

In 2011, City Perk received Eco-Stride's First Step Award for its sustainable business practices.

Avery said he became environmentally aware when he was growing up in Michigan. His family had a cottage on a lake and he developed an appreciation for the ecosystem there.

“It’s a moral issue,” Avery said. “Why would you want to trash the very environment that you live in?”

Avila, who grew up in Orange County, was disappointed to see strawberry fields, orange groves and other open spaces give way to development.

“This is my backyard,” Avila said. “We’re responsible for doing something.”

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City Perk Café and Bakery is located at 21 Vantis, Aliso Viejo. Hours: Weekdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit them online at cityperk.net