diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/darkswarm/services/gmaps_geo.js.erb.coffee b/app/assets/javascripts/darkswarm/services/gmaps_geo.js.erb.coffee
index 9b78ea4bcc..45b4628641 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/darkswarm/services/gmaps_geo.js.erb.coffee
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/darkswarm/services/gmaps_geo.js.erb.coffee
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Darkswarm.service "GmapsGeo", ->
     #     console.log "Error: #{status}"
     geocode: (address, callback) ->
       geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder()
-      geocoder.geocode {'address': address, 'region': "<%= Spree::Country.find_by(id: Spree::Config[:default_country_id]).iso %>"}, callback
+      geocoder.geocode {'address': address, 'region': "<%= DefaultCountry.code %>"}, callback
 
     distanceBetween: (src, dst) ->
       google.maps.geometry.spherical.computeDistanceBetween @toLatLng(src), @toLatLng(dst)
@@ -20,4 +20,4 @@ Darkswarm.service "GmapsGeo", ->
       if locatable.lat?
         locatable
       else
-        new google.maps.LatLng locatable.latitude, locatable.longitude
\ No newline at end of file
+        new google.maps.LatLng locatable.latitude, locatable.longitude
diff --git a/app/controllers/admin/enterprise_groups_controller.rb b/app/controllers/admin/enterprise_groups_controller.rb
index 0691d9eeaa..bfd5cca831 100644
--- a/app/controllers/admin/enterprise_groups_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/admin/enterprise_groups_controller.rb
@@ -28,9 +28,7 @@ module Admin
     def build_resource
       enterprise_group = super
       enterprise_group.address = Spree::Address.new
-      enterprise_group.address.country = Spree::Country.find_by(
-        id: Spree::Config[:default_country_id]
-      )
+      enterprise_group.address.country = DefaultCountry.country
       enterprise_group
     end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/admin/enterprises_controller.rb b/app/controllers/admin/enterprises_controller.rb
index db87019011..a65dc15a93 100644
--- a/app/controllers/admin/enterprises_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/admin/enterprises_controller.rb
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ module Admin
     def build_resource
       enterprise = super
       enterprise.address ||= Spree::Address.new
-      enterprise.address.country ||= Spree::Country.find_by(id: Spree::Config[:default_country_id])
+      enterprise.address.country ||= DefaultCountry.country
       enterprise
     end
 
diff --git a/app/models/spree/address.rb b/app/models/spree/address.rb
index 7a4307f2a1..45834510d7 100644
--- a/app/models/spree/address.rb
+++ b/app/models/spree/address.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ module Spree
 
     def self.default
       country = begin
-                  Spree::Country.find(Spree::Config[:default_country_id])
+                  DefaultCountry.country
                 rescue StandardError
                   Spree::Country.first
                 end
diff --git a/app/models/spree/tax_rate.rb b/app/models/spree/tax_rate.rb
index cce477b29d..f3f28495e6 100644
--- a/app/models/spree/tax_rate.rb
+++ b/app/models/spree/tax_rate.rb
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ module Spree
       category = TaxCategory.includes(:tax_rates).find_by(is_default: true)
       return 0 unless category
 
-      address ||= Address.new(country_id: Spree::Config[:default_country_id])
+      address ||= Address.new(country_id: DefaultCountry.id)
       rate = category.tax_rates.detect { |tax_rate| tax_rate.zone.include? address }.try(:amount)
 
       rate || 0
diff --git a/app/services/default_country.rb b/app/services/default_country.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c805e261b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/default_country.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+class DefaultCountry
+  def self.id
+    country.id
+  end
+
+  def self.code
+    country.iso
+  end
+
+  def self.country
+    Spree::Country.find_by(iso: ENV["DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE"]) || Spree::Country.first
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/admin/enterprises/new.html.haml b/app/views/admin/enterprises/new.html.haml
index ec54e17900..4cd0297362 100644
--- a/app/views/admin/enterprises/new.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/admin/enterprises/new.html.haml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   = "admin.enterprises"
 
 = admin_inject_available_countries(module: 'admin.enterprises')
-= admin_inject_json "admin.enterprises", "defaultCountryID", Spree::Config[:default_country_id]
+= admin_inject_json "admin.enterprises", "defaultCountryID", DefaultCountry.id
 
 -# Form
 
diff --git a/app/views/checkout/_billing.html.haml b/app/views/checkout/_billing.html.haml
index 07b0d0f251..9be3ed6e45 100644
--- a/app/views/checkout/_billing.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/checkout/_billing.html.haml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
               = validated_input t(:postcode), "order.bill_address.zipcode"
 
             .small-6.columns.right
-              = validated_select t(:country), "order.bill_address.country_id", {}, {"ng-init" => "order.bill_address.country_id = order.bill_address.country_id || #{Spree::Config[:default_country_id]}", "ng-options" => "c.id as c.name for c in countries"}
+              = validated_select t(:country), "order.bill_address.country_id", {}, {"ng-init" => "order.bill_address.country_id = order.bill_address.country_id || #{DefaultCountry.id}", "ng-options" => "c.id as c.name for c in countries"}
 
       .row
         .small-12.columns.text-right
diff --git a/app/views/checkout/_shipping_ship_address.html.haml b/app/views/checkout/_shipping_ship_address.html.haml
index 1119886a47..ac399d544c 100644
--- a/app/views/checkout/_shipping_ship_address.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/checkout/_shipping_ship_address.html.haml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
           .small-6.columns
             = validated_input t(:postcode), "order.ship_address.zipcode"
           .small-6.columns.right
-            = validated_select t(:country), "order.ship_address.country_id", {}, {"ng-init" => "order.ship_address.country_id = order.ship_address.country_id || #{Spree::Config[:default_country_id]}", "ng-options" => "c.id as c.name for c in countries"}
+            = validated_select t(:country), "order.ship_address.country_id", {}, {"ng-init" => "order.ship_address.country_id = order.ship_address.country_id || #{DefaultCountry.id}", "ng-options" => "c.id as c.name for c in countries"}
         .row
           .small-6.columns
             = validated_input t(:phone), "order.ship_address.phone"
diff --git a/app/views/registration/steps/_details.html.haml b/app/views/registration/steps/_details.html.haml
index faabc3b965..27e56e9f64 100644
--- a/app/views/registration/steps/_details.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/registration/steps/_details.html.haml
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
             .small-12.medium-8.large-8.columns
               .field
                 %label{ for: 'enterprise_country' }= t(".country_field")
-                %select.chunky{ id: 'enterprise_country', name: 'country', required: true, ng: { init: "setDefaultCountry(#{Spree::Config[:default_country_id]})", model: 'enterprise.country', options: 'c as c.name for c in countries' } }
+                %select.chunky{ id: 'enterprise_country', name: 'country', required: true, ng: { init: "setDefaultCountry(#{DefaultCountry.id})", model: 'enterprise.country', options: 'c as c.name for c in countries' } }
                 %span.error{ ng: { show: "details.country.$error.required && submitted" } }
                   = t(".country_field_error")
 
diff --git a/app/views/spree/admin/shared/_configuration_menu.html.haml b/app/views/spree/admin/shared/_configuration_menu.html.haml
index d9d97f7915..b9b0167497 100644
--- a/app/views/spree/admin/shared/_configuration_menu.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/spree/admin/shared/_configuration_menu.html.haml
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:tax_settings), edit_admin_tax_settings_path
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:zones), admin_zones_path
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:countries), admin_countries_path
-      - if Spree::Config[:default_country_id]
-        = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:states), admin_country_states_path(Spree::Config[:default_country_id])
+      - if DefaultCountry.id
+        = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:states), admin_country_states_path(DefaultCountry.id)
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:payment_methods), admin_payment_methods_path
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:taxonomies), admin_taxonomies_path
       = configurations_sidebar_menu_item Spree.t(:shipping_methods), admin_shipping_methods_path
diff --git a/config/application.rb b/config/application.rb
index 45c68a66b3..279927317d 100644
--- a/config/application.rb
+++ b/config/application.rb
@@ -75,13 +75,6 @@ module Openfoodnetwork
     initializer 'ofn.spree_locale_settings', before: 'spree.promo.environment' do |app|
       Spree::Config['checkout_zone'] = ENV['CHECKOUT_ZONE']
       Spree::Config['currency'] = ENV['CURRENCY']
-
-      if ActiveRecord::Base.connected? && Spree::Country.table_exists?
-        country = Spree::Country.find_by(iso: ENV['DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE'])
-        Spree::Config['default_country_id'] = country.id if country.present?
-      else
-        Spree::Config['default_country_id'] = 12  # Australia
-      end
     end
 
     # Register Spree calculators
diff --git a/db/default/countries.rb b/db/default/countries.rb
index 1df48ed11b..4cc00cb560 100644
--- a/db/default/countries.rb
+++ b/db/default/countries.rb
@@ -227,4 +227,3 @@ Spree::Country.create!([
   { name: "Saint Kitts and Nevis", iso3: "KNA", iso: "KN", iso_name: "SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS", numcode: "659" },
   { name: "Serbia", iso3: "SRB", iso: "RS", "iso_name" => "SERBIA", numcode: "999" }
 ])
-Spree::Config[:default_country_id] = Spree::Country.find_by(iso: ENV.fetch("DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE", "US")).id
diff --git a/spec/features/admin/configuration/states_spec.rb b/spec/features/admin/configuration/states_spec.rb
index 90292a1708..10e87ceb88 100755
--- a/spec/features/admin/configuration/states_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/admin/configuration/states_spec.rb
@@ -10,8 +10,10 @@ describe "States" do
 
   before(:each) do
     login_as_admin
-    @hungary = Spree::Country.create!(name: "Hungary", iso_name: "Hungary")
-    Spree::Config[:default_country_id] = country.id
+    @hungary = Spree::Country.create!(name: "Hungary", iso_name: "Hungary", iso: "HU")
+
+    allow(ENV).to receive(:[]).and_call_original
+    allow(ENV).to receive(:[]).with("DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE").and_return("HU")
   end
 
   # TODO: For whatever reason, rendering of the states page takes a non-trivial amount of time
diff --git a/spec/models/spree/address_spec.rb b/spec/models/spree/address_spec.rb
index 12ff129676..f334392657 100644
--- a/spec/models/spree/address_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/spree/address_spec.rb
@@ -144,23 +144,21 @@ describe Spree::Address do
   end
 
   context ".default" do
-    before do
-      @default_country_id = Spree::Config[:default_country_id]
-      new_country = create(:country)
-      Spree::Config[:default_country_id] = new_country.id
-    end
-
-    after do
-      Spree::Config[:default_country_id] = @default_country_id
-    end
-    it "sets up a new record with Spree::Config[:default_country_id]" do
-      expect(Spree::Address.default.country).to eq Spree::Country.find(Spree::Config[:default_country_id])
+    it "sets up a new record the default country" do
+      expect(Spree::Address.default.country).to eq DefaultCountry.country
     end
 
     # Regression test for #1142
-    it "uses the first available country if :default_country_id is set to an invalid value" do
-      Spree::Config[:default_country_id] = "0"
-      expect(Spree::Address.default.country).to eq Spree::Country.first
+
+    context "The default country code is set to an invalid value" do
+      before do
+        allow(ENV).to receive(:[]).and_call_original
+        allow(ENV).to receive(:[]).with("DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE").and_return("notacountry")
+      end
+
+      it "uses the first available country" do
+        expect(Spree::Address.default.country).to eq Spree::Country.first
+      end
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 948a9ed9a9..f133206083 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ RSpec.configure do |config|
   # Geocoding
   config.before(:each) { allow_any_instance_of(Spree::Address).to receive(:geocode).and_return([1, 1]) }
 
-  default_country_id = Spree::Config[:default_country_id]
+  default_country_id = DefaultCountry.id
   checkout_zone = Spree::Config[:checkout_zone]
   currency = Spree::Config[:currency]
   # Ensure we start with consistent config settings