Trent students, staff and faculty looking for “a quiet place to take a break from the day” have a new option.

Bata Bean, Bata Boom has opened in the Bata Library foyer, a next phase of the library’s revitalization.

Trent director of Food Services Mark Murdoch, notes the new café is serving Electric City Artisan fair trade and organic coffee that is custom roasted for Trent in three flavour profiles. Open Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday until 3:00 p.m., the café also offers a variety of cold beverages, sandwiches, salads, a daily soup, snack items and bulk candy. This space has also been designed with studying and group projects in mind with a number of charging ports located throughout the seating area.

“Consistent with our broader sustainability efforts, the café does not offer disposable single-use hot beverage cups…you have to bring your own mug,” says Mr. Murdoch, adding bulk cream, milk and sugar is offered “to reduce our footprint.”

“The reusable mug strategy is part of a multi-faceted approach. We’re hopeful that the use of travel mugs at Bata will percolate across the entire campus and encourage students to engage in other sustainability initiatives.”

At the café’s opening on October 9, Mr. Murdoch was joined by Trent librarian Robert Clarke and Kent Stringham, vice-president, Finance and Administration, to cut the ribbon with the first 100 patrons receiving a free travel mug.

“The new café provides the campus community access to a light food service offering in a very well used building,” says Mr. Murdoch, who co-ordinates the efforts of nine food service providers spread across Trent’s campuses.

Earlier this year, Trent became the only Canadian university to have a three-star green-certified restaurant when the Peter Gzowski College Dining Hall was awarded that distinction by the Green Restaurant Association.