People before Profits: Brewing with Purpose: Social Impact is a core driver of many brands. For some this means pouring their energies into a specific group. Black Rifle Coffee Company exemplifies this. Founded by veterans, Black Rifle is committed to supporting veterans, law enforcement, and first responders. For others meanwhile, it’s about casting a wider net. Milo’s Tea Company pledges 1% of its profits annually across three areas –education, protecting the planet for future generations, and community disaster relief.
Supplier Partnerships: Grow Stronger Together: The success and resilience of every tea and coffee brand in the United States relies on a strong and healthy supply chain, particularly the farms that grow our products. Peet's Coffee has recognized this for over ten years with its Common Grounds Farmer program. This program, through multi-stakeholder and multiyear projects, addresses local realities for coffee farmers from sustainable farming practices through to labor practices across the globe.
Paying Premium Prices as a Principle: Paying fair prices to farmers is just good business. Counter Culture Coffee was built on the conviction that everyone deserves to make a living wage. They therefore pay above ‘market price for all coffees’ and focus on forward contracts to give security to farmers. This is combined with rigorous transparency, publishing the price they pay for every coffee for all to see, so consumers have clear provenance of product and price.
Carbon Consciousness: Reducing Each Cup’s Footprint: Climate Net Zero is a critical goal for us all... and it is a BIG challenge. But every step forward counts. Numi Tea introduced carbon footprint labelling on its tea pack, helping customers understand the carbon impact of their purchases and making them feel good about their decisions. Many brands are organizing their supply chains more locally: Chameleon Coffee transitioned from importing glass bottles to American-made for a number of their key products, helping them to reduce their carbon footprint and strengthening local communities and economies.
Waste Not, Want Not: Reframing waste as an opportunity allows us to get creative: Milo’s Tea Company ‘re-earths’ its tea leaves by sending them to a topsoil company to compost and create nutrient rich soils. In 2023, Milo’s re-earthed over 10,000 tons of used tea leaves. Or take Torque Coffee which embraces the opportunity to be part of the circular economy. Using 95% post-consumer waste that’s been diverted from landfill, it can be home recycled or reused for their all-in-one mailer boxes of coffee.
