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The Oak Tree Inn sets high standards for sustainability

The picturesque and bustling Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha isn’t just a great place to eat, drink and sleep – it’s a business that takes sustainability, community and environment seriously – which is great news given its idyllic location on the West Highland Way and shores of Loch Lomond!

The entrepreneurial Fraser family – the owners of The Oak Tree Inn, St Mocha Coffee Shop, Loch Lomond Coffee, Loch Lomond Ice Cream, Balmaha Village Shop, St Mocha drive thru at Carbeth and The Station Café in Aberfoyle – is determined to keep the environmental impact of their growing business to a minimum.

Stuart Fraser explains the business ethos: “We are very privileged to live and work in an area of outstanding beauty and our focus is on providing visitors with an amazing experience but, just as importantly, making sure that we work hard to preserve our environment so that generations to come can still enjoy its unspoilt beauty.

“We are very proud of our green credentials and it is our mission to re-invest in our community and continue to develop Balmaha, always with our people and our planet in mind.”

Their green initiatives range from small to large and are very much community focused. From producing and selling their honey in the village shop, growing their own herbs and vegetables, and using solar power whenever possible, to investing in electric vehicles, there’s no part of the business that isn’t focused on sustainability.

One of their most ingenious initiatives relates to their St Mocha coffee where they collect all their used coffee grounds from their cafes via electric vehicles and dry these out in their biomass shed to be used as fuel or in their palm-free soap.

Their latest initiative is the installation of a ground source heating pump that will help compliment their existing solar power and provide additional heating for the buildings.

So, if you want a friendly welcome, great hospitality and to support an environmentally focused local business on your visit to Loch Lomond, visit www.theoaktreeinn.co.uk to find out more and to book accommodation or a table at their restaurant.