In an industry where waste is often seen as an unavoidable byproduct, Harriet Dean-Orange is proving that the future of Brighton hospitality is circular. We sat down with the founder of Harriet’s of Hove to discuss e-cargo bikes, “honkingly good” eco-cleaning, and why sustainability is the best marketing tool a restaurant can have.
Harriet, you’ve become a cornerstone of the zero-waste movement in Hove. For those in the hospitality industry who haven’t partnered with you yet, how would you describe the core mission of Harriet’s of Hove?
Our core mission is to truly lean into the circular economy and help people consume, but with little or no waste.
There are so many areas in our purchasing and supplies that don’t need new packaging; we are trying to show that circular packaging is the way forward—for costs, for time management, for sustainable gains, and for feeling far more positive about the way we buy. This can be done for our home lives, but also for our workplaces and businesses too.
You have a B2B offering for local restaurants and cafes. What specific products do you provide that are essential for a busy professional kitchen or front-of-house team?
Harriet’s of Hove sells a range of cleaning and toiletry essentials that are just perfect for busy restaurants and hospitality areas.
They are simple, clean, often fragrance-free (therefore a low allergy risk), and they do the job well!
Our range includes anti-bac sprays, citric acid toilet cleaner, scented hand soaps for customer bathrooms, smear-free glass cleaner for quick and effective window cleaning, and completely natural products like spirit white vinegar that will lift grime and naturally polish—all without any bleach whatsoever. These products are better for the planet and for staff and customers alike.
We curate sample packs for businesses so you can trial them according to your needs. Usually, in this case, businesses trial a few products from the anti-bac range and the “completely natural” range as an easy swap-out for unnecessary chemicals.
Hospitality has high standards for hygiene. Can you tell us about your food-standards-approved antibacterial range and how it performs against traditional chemical cleaners?
All of our bactericidal (anti-bac) range is fully standards-compliant and comes with the relevant industry codes on the labels; we provide full product ingredients and details on request. They perform perfectly well, just without the unnecessarily damaging, cheaply mass-produced chemicals found in many mainstream cleaners that we have been led to believe are essential.
We’ve often received compliments from businesses’ EHOs (Environmental Health Officers) during their Food Standards Inspections regarding the quality and “simplicity” of the products. This includes our own EHO, who claimed they wished they saw simple products like these in more places. The lack of bleaches and artificial ingredients means they are easier to assess and carry less risk for allergies.
Many businesses worry that “eco-friendly” means “more expensive.” How does your pricing structure compare to industry giants like Ecover or Delphis?
We provide products in 5L or 20L barrels, and we collect the empties for re-sterilisation and reuse.
This model truly means the customer receives plastic-free products, and the beauty of it is you don’t have to pay to have the containers removed, saving both time and money.
Some of our products work out a little more per 5L compared to the commonly known eco-brands, but the basic anti-bac spray, washing-up liquids, hand soaps, and citric acid toilet cleaner are extremely cost-comparable. Again, businesses will save money on their waste removal. We deliver by e-bike for a reasonable £4.50 per delivery, providing an efficient and truly sustainable supplies service.
We also sell our food goods via discounted B2B. Many places we sell cleaning products to will also add on bespoke, weighed-out menu ingredients in order to get what they want fast and in amounts that avoid waste. Buying only what you need will inevitably save money and support a more sustainable supply chain.
Carbon-free delivery is a huge part of your appeal. Tell us about your e-cargo bike setup—how far do you travel, and what’s the reaction been from chefs when Regina rolls up with an order?
Our trusted ninth member of the team—our Urban Arrow e-cargo bike, named Regina—was funded by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Accelerator Project and has completely changed the way we deliver at Harriet’s of Hove.
We’ve now clocked over 1,300km on the bike, replacing petrol deliveries, and it offers a level of versatility that we couldn’t enjoy before.
Come rain or shine (recently more rain), Regina manages to deliver as far out as Shoreham and all the way to Rottingdean.
We are so proud of the reliability Regina shows when delivering to our home and business customers. It’s true sustainability in action, and we like to celebrate this. Our customers absolutely love to see Regina rolling up and whipping their deliveries out from the cargo box. It’s very rewarding to see, and we share the successes in our mail-outs and social media with classic “delivery photos—bike included.” It’s a great visual way for us to showcase people’s sustainability efforts. It’s also far more fun than receiving an Amazon delivery!
You offer a completely natural, water-safe range for areas that don’t require heavy-duty antibacterials. Why is this distinction important for a business’s environmental footprint?
This is extremely important to many places we supply, such as saunas on the waterfront or even a composting business that needs completely chemical-free, soil-safe products. It would, for example, be irresponsible—and in some cases have legal implications—for these businesses to use synthetic chemicals in their everyday cleaning, so our “completely natural” range fits perfectly here. We currently sell to five saunas, and they all confirm the need for natural products that won’t harm their local environment, waterways, or customers.
It’s also really interesting to talk with hospitality businesses and see where the natural range will be sufficient and where we might be able to swap out products containing “nasty chemicals.” For example, not all areas need to be cleaned with antibacterials, and certainly not bleach.
It’s really rewarding to see workplaces choose something more sustainable once they discover what we provide.
What is the most common “lightbulb moment” a restaurant owner has when they first see your B2B pack and realise how simple the switch can be?
First, that the products are all completely labelled and authority-approved, and we provide the bottles ready to go. They just have to refill. No more empty bottles to replace. No more multiple places to order from.
No more recycling of bottles or barrels. Just easy, circular, sustainable supplies!
Also, we provide a support service that checks in to see what you need and when. We take care of the juggling of ordering so businesses will never run out of what they need. Some places run a monthly subscription with us, meaning even less effort and more brain space for running the business.
You’ve worked with local legends like Chef Kanthi at Spice Circuit and the team at Beach Box Sauna. Can you give us an example of how you’ve helped a local business overcome a specific sustainability hurdle?
For Chef Kanthi, he was looking for a local business to support while keeping sustainability and community at the core of his everyday operations. Plus, he really enjoys being able to have bespoke, weighed-out menu ingredients delivered as and when he needs them. It isn’t unusual for us to deliver him 5L of bactericidal floor cleaner, a natural range hand soap for customers, and then 700g of organic chana dal for his latest menu change.
We’re his local one-stop-eco-delivery shop!
And for Beach Box, they really enjoy us taking away all the empty barrels and leaving them with more space. Our natural products suit their needs perfectly, and they even receive a fortnightly Staff Snacks Subscription box filled with yummy treats for their team. Again, we manage to tick many boxes for them that more mainstream suppliers wouldn’t.
When you finally get a night off from championing the circular economy, where is your favourite spot in Brighton or Hove to grab a meal?
Call me biased, but it absolutely has to be The Spice Circuit and the Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead bar! But the team always loves Bonsai Plant Kitchen, and we thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas meal out at Earth and Stars. Jo & Co remains a brunch favourite for us all, with great food, a varied menu, and excellent service.
