9 Sustainable and Ethically Sourced Coffee Brands
Every morning, millions of people groggily roll out of bed and brew themselves a silly little cup of coffee. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, but this beloved beverage has not always been sustainably or ethically produced. For generations, coffee farmers have faced systemic exploitation in the form of low wages, poor working conditions, sexual abuse towards female workers, and lack of access to education and healthcare. Not to mention, coffee becoming a colonial import and its subsequent cultivation around the world (see more below — thanks again, Dutch East India Company!) is the reason we’ve all grown used to our daily dose of caffeine in the first place.
Despite these exploitative origins, there is a growing movement towards sustainable and fair trade practices in the coffee industry. Sustainable baddies everywhere are acting to make sure their choices of coffee have a positive (or at least neutral) impact on the environment and on the lives of farmers and workers. Life under capitalism is sometimes just about having your silly little caffeinated (or decaf) drinks, which is why we’ve curated a list of sustainable coffee brands that you can support. These companies are reimagining the coffee industry to prioritize fair trade practices, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Note: We recommend always buying whole-bean coffee. While pre-ground coffee is convenient, it will rob you of the tastes and aromas of freshly ground coffee. Pre-ground coffee also goes stale much faster than whole-bean. If you’re a true coffee enthusiast, investing in a hand grinder or burr grinder will give you years of joy.
A Brief History of Coffee
The cultivation of coffee can be traced back to 11th-century Ethiopia, where, according to legend, it was discovered by a goat herder who noticed his goats becoming more energetic after eating the berries from a particular tree. Coffee quickly spread throughout the Middle East and eventually made its way to Europe in the 17th century. Today, coffee farming is a major industry worldwide, with countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Kenya being major coffee producers.
Coffee
Hidden Grounds Coffee, founded by Spoorthi Kumar and Anand Patel, is an Indian-owned coffee brand based in Hudson County, NJ, and Brooklyn, NY. This single-origin Colombia Honey bean comes from Caturra, Colombia, and has notes of brown sugar, orange, raspberry, and red apple. If you’re a decaf girly, their decaf beans are just as delicious as their regular beans.
Founders Rink Dickinson, Jonathan Rosenthal, and Michael Rozyn founded Equal Exchange in 1986 after deciding to stand in solidarity with Nicaraguan farmers, despite a US embargo, and brew fairly traded coffee from Nicaragua. They partner with farmer cooperatives, which distribute resources and decision-making amongst their members, and now source from over 40 small farmer organizations around the world.
Merling Preza founded Pachamama Coffee so that coffee farmers could have better access to the market, the benefits of coffee production, and to meet the needs of their communities. Pachamama Coffee is farmer-owned, which means the farmers are the owners across the entire coffee chain, from farming the beans to handing them over to consumers. Their packaging is plant-based and compostable and beans are certified organic and shade grown.
Conscious Coffees was founded in the early ‘90s by Mel and Mark, two baristas from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Conscious Coffees has eliminated the middleman by directly importing coffee from procuring cooperatives and maintaining long-term relationships with the farmers themselves. Their beans are 100% organic, fair trade, and certified B-corp.
Coffee Subscriptions
Trade handpicks ethically sourced coffee to create a link between the roaster and the customer. Take their quiz to have a coffee subscription curated to your wants and needs.
Founder Stephen Rapaport discovered there are about 10 middle parties between the farm and the customer in the coffee supply chain, which often leaves coffee farmers with very little profit. In 2012, he set off on a journey to build direct relationships with coffee farmers. Pact will design a coffee subscription based on your preferred brewing methods and grinds.
Better Grounds sources coffee from brands that produce organic, fair trade, and sustainably packaged coffee. They are your one-stop shop for finding new and sustainable coffee brands to try! They provide three unique subscription options where you can select between an array of different sustainable coffee beans.
Zero/Low-Waste Filters
The Coffee sock is a reusable coffee filter made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. Each pack of filters lasts about a year, replacing approximately 500 paper filters, and, at the end of their life cycle, can be tossed in the compost at the end of their lifecycle.
OVALWARE’s Stainless Steel Coffee Filter
OVALWARE’s Stainless Steel Coffee Filter is a premium pour-over filter designed with dual-layer high-quality mesh. Metal coffee filters guarantee a richer, fuller taste and eliminate the “papery” taste that can come with disposable paper filters.
More of a tea girly? Check out our list of sustainable and ethical tea brands!