The Towpath Café Opens
This month, the Towpath Café welcomed its first customers, offering a welcoming space for the neighbourhood to connect, relax and enjoy a rich programme of pop-up events and cultural activities.
The café is operated by Bennett Hay, a company deeply committed to long-term sustainability and community wellbeing. Their approach centres on ethically sourced food, responsible resource use and fostering inclusive social impact.
The café’s grab-and-go range, Mindfuel, is accredited by Food for the Brain. These nutritionally balanced recipes are designed to support cognitive function, using local and seasonal ingredients selected to enhance focus, energy and productivity. The menu features surplus ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables sourced from London’s food businesses, sustainable fish from British waters and high-welfare chicken from Hemel Hempstead—making sustainability both delicious and practical.
Furthering its social impact mission, the café proudly serves SEND Coffee, a social enterprise working with smallholder farmers in El Salvador and the Democratic Republic of Congo. By sourcing from these regions, the initiative supports producers in challenging socioeconomic and political environments. Closer to home, SEND Coffee also trains and employs young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), enabling them to build confidence, gain qualifications and access meaningful employment in hospitality. Every cup served helps fund this life-changing work.
The tea offering comes from NEMI, a London-based social enterprise that employs refugees, helping them gain valuable work experience and integrate into the UK job market. NEMI’s organic teas are sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms, ensuring that environmental conservation, fair wages and safe working conditions are upheld throughout the supply chain.
In line with its zero-waste ethos, the Apex Café uses ceramics and crockery instead of disposables, encouraging customers to dine in and savour the moment with friends and colleagues. This small yet thoughtful detail supports the café’s mission to create a slower, more mindful food culture—one that values community and sustainability.
