SUPER FRESH

Mermaid Beach just scored its first completely organic cafe, Sally Coates discovers why one Gold Coast man made organic his mission

THE Coast’s first 100 per cent organic cafe has opened in Mermaid Beach, serving nothing but organic ingredients, from tea to tacos.

Corganics owner Andrew McElhone launched the company after personally experiencing the positive health benefits he found from eating organic.

“I’ve always been interested in food and I’ve sporadically followed different diets like vegan and whole food diets,” he says.

“I’ve had a couple of health conditions over the years that made me question how important diet and good quality food is.

“Knowing that organic food has none of the chemical nasties means it gives you both a healthier and more nutritious food source as well as being good for the environment.

“It makes you feel like you’re contributing to better, more sustainable agricultural practices and also building towards optimal health.”

As different dietary requirements gain traction all over the world, the concept of organic food has too, but Andrew says Australia is behind. Corganics aspires to change that.

“I think the organic diet is growing in popularity and is huge, almost mainstream, in certain parts of Europe and America,” he says.

“Corganics is 100 per cent organic, both produce and products, as well as meals to be eaten in or taken away.

“We have a full range of fruit and vegetables and speciality organic products which many health food stores have.

“But to my knowledge we’re the only cafe on the Gold Coast doing a full al a carte menu to be taken away, or there’s a handful of tables if people want to dine in.”

The menu is packed with popular, detail oriented cafe options, but of course, completely organic. And before you say it, the prices are actually on par with many Gold Coast cafes.

There are chia, toasted muesli and fruit salad pots with finishing touches such as whipped banana or mixed seeds. For a savoury option that will fill your belly all day there’s the Buddha bowl; roast pumpkin, broccoli, sliced avocado, Moroccan spiced hummus, lightly steamed kale, poached egg, spiced sauteed mushrooms finished with mixed roast seeds and chilli turmeric creamy dressing. Or you can go your classic eggs on toast (six types of bread available) with optional extras of mushrooms, haloumi, feta, salmon, rosemary lamb sausages and more.

Lunch is more exotic, with everything from the Corganics burger, starring a beetroot and quinoa patty, to the naked burrito bowl to the zucchini pasta with Scottish Atlantic salmon.

“Nobody is left out with organic food,” Andrew says. “It’s not like vegan food where meat-eaters aren’t happy.

Staying in line with sustainability and wholesomeness, all of Corganic’s packaging is fully compostable and made from recycled materials.

Andrew says he’s confident Corganics will be the first of many similar cafes on the Coast, as he believes organic living is the way of the future.

“I think there’ll be many more organic stores because most young people today are into their health and into the environment,” he says.

“Many of the new places opening up have a dietary slant and more and more people are vegan or organic and that makes health sense as well as environmental sense.”

Corganics, 2471 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach