Grand Plan

The Grand Plan underpins everything we do.

It’s Olympia's ethical ethos, which is reflected not only in our actions but in the way we are built. Plastic-free, compostable and reusable initiatives are woven into our products and processes.

We recruit locally to benefit the community and our staff are able to earn London Living Wages and beyond. Partnerships with local universities and colleges ensure that everyone is involved. At Host Olympia, we’re committed to enhancing our community and environment.

Community / Environment

Community Blend

Guardians of Grub

Employee Education

Community

Targeted initiatives ensure that we add value to our London community.

We begin with our recruitment strategy, which aims to deliver at least 80% of casual staff from within a 10-mile radius of the venue. Beyond that, we partner with Well Grounded, who help us recruit people that are deemed harder to reach, offering them work as baristas. This ensures that we have a wonderfully diverse team.

With regards to employment, all our staff have the opportunity to earn London Living Wage and beyond. This is a key element of our commitment to contribute to the financial well-being of the people living and working in the local community. Similarly, our London Larder local supply chain helps to keep more money in the surrounding area.

Finally, we offer a resident discount for those living in London W14. All you need do is show proof of address dated within three months to benefit from a 10% discount on all our retail operations.

Environment

Environmental initiatives are worked into the fabric of what we do. For our customers, we offer a predominantly plastic-free retail drinks range, reusable water bottles which can be refilled at hydration stations, and fully compostable disposables.

We do not offer individual sachets of sauces or seasonings, which means that we cut down on waste significantly. In our behind the scenes process, we work on sustainability in a few different ways:

Community Blend

Community Blend is a coffee with purpose. Created by Company of Cooks in partnership with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee and Well Grounded, it supports communities at every stage—from farm to cup.

Sourced from Jaén, Peru, the blend ensures farmers receive a fair price, while every kilogram sold funds training for unemployed Londoners through Well Grounded. With notes of red berry jam, dark chocolate, and walnut, it’s served across Company of Cooks venues, including the Royal Opera House and Southbank Centre, as well as in 240 Waitrose stores.

With over 3,000 work placement hours provided and 68 graduates employed, every cup helps change lives.

Well Grounded Social Enterprise

At Host Olympia, coffee is more than a drink—it’s a catalyst for change. That’s why we proudly support Well Grounded, a social enterprise dedicated to creating life-changing opportunities in the coffee industry. By providing training, qualifications, and pathways to employment, Well Grounded empowers individuals facing barriers to work, from long-term unemployment to systemic inequalities.

Through our partnership, we’re investing in the next generation of skilled baristas and coffee professionals. Olympia’s contributions—both financial and through work placements—have helped local residents gain industry-recognised qualifications, access real-world experience, and take meaningful steps towards sustainable careers. With 70% of Well Grounded graduates moving into employment, education, or further training, the impact is clear: every cup of coffee served at Olympia supports a future built on opportunity.

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Guardians of Grub

Olympia has partnered with WRAP in the national campaign 'Guardians of Grub' to help tackling the £3 billion of food waste produced in the UK’s hospitality industry. We are excited to be part of this.

Guardians of Grub is a movement aimed at empowering professionals from across the food service sector to reduce the amount of food thrown away each day be it in cafés, restaurants or venues. We are all in this together and, as we are all part of the problem, we all need to be part of the solution. From preparation waste in the kitchen to portion control when serving, to plate waste, to spoilage. By monitoring, identifying where the problem lies and putting actions into place to reduce it we take a step towards a more sustainable future helping our environment.

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City Harvest

We work in partnership with City Harvest, a charity distributing over 12 tonnes of food per week to the community so that any excess food we have onsite will be given to those in need.