5 entrepreneurs bringing natural industry values to the coffee market
![5 entrepreneurs bringing natural industry values to the coffee market 5 entrepreneurs bringing natural industry values to the coffee market](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt42a09b95b33ef308/64e8ffd85722c51b4b773162/coffee_20entrepreneurs.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
OK, OK, so it’s not technically coffee, but Teeccino’s herbal drinks are a top-selling coffee alternative that got initial traction in natural and specialty food stores in the mid-1990s. MacDougall’s teas combine antioxidant-rich ingredients like carob, barley, dates, figs and ramon seeds that are roasted and ground to brew, look and taste like coffee—except they’re naturally non-acidic and caffeine free, plus they contain inulin to support digestive health. But it’s not the company’s success that MacDougall, an expert tea crafter who's designed products for The Republic of Tea, the Yogi Tea Company and Organic India, finds most rewarding. “I’m most proud of Teeccino’s contribution to developing new trade for unique ingredients in rural communities where income opportunities are scarce,” she says. “For example, we’ve pioneered the wild harvest in Central America of the ramón seed, which was a traditional food and roasted beverage of the Mayan civilization.” This year, Teeccino plans to add recyclable K-cups to its product line.
“When we started, organic and fair trade coffee was virtually unheard of,” says Elana Rosenfeld, co-founder and CEO of Kicking Horse Coffee. “We constantly promoted the values, and the values became market differentiators for us.” Rosenfeld and partner Leo Johnson started the company in 1996 in the small mountain town of Invermere, B.C., and insisted on sourcing only fair trade and organic beans grown in the shade of the rain forest canopy, which Kicking Horse says creates “superior coffee cherry (bean) and a more resilient ecosystem.” Since then, it’s become Canada’s largest provider of fair trade, organic coffee and has helped catalyze a shift in how coffee is produced and consumed. The company also sells its products in cans made of recycled steel and is experimenting with several kinds of composting at its café. “The pay-off has been to see much of the industry begin to adopt those values," Rosenfeld says. "It’s great to see goodness spread around."
Fair trade, organic and sustainable haven’t always been priorities in the coffee industry. But over the last few decades, consumers have increasingly demanded these qualities in the products they buy, and coffee roasters have responded by incorporating those values into their businesses. (There are upwards of two dozen coffee companies exhibiting at Natural Products Expo West 2015.) Read on to see how five company leaders are bringing natural industry values to your morning cup of joe.
For 20 years, this indie coffee roaster in Durham, North Carolina, has been cultivating direct relationships with farmers and communities in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, where its coffee comes from. It's committed to real sustainability, traceability, freshness and, notably, education. Counter Culture’s Save Our Soil campaign raises awareness about the critical importance of organic agriculture (85 percent of the coffee it purchases is certified organic), and it has contributed more than $65,000 to projects that benefit its coffee-producing partners and families in eight countries. It also runs eight training centers (with a ninth set to open in Emeryville, California, in April 2015) across the U.S. where it offers courses, seminars and hands-on training to industry professionals and coffee aficionados. "At the end of the day, it would be great to be known as a company that pushed potential -- potential of what a relationship can be with a producer, potential of what a sustainably minded business can accomplish and potential of partnerships with our customers," Smith said. "I hope we never sit still and embrace the status quo."
“Since day one, we have always said that uncompromising standards for the highest quality, consciously crafted coffee will always be the foundation of Chameleon Cold-Brew,” co-founder Chris Campbell says. Chameleon jumped into the cold-brew coffee scene a few years ago when the trend was really starting to pick up steam. Campbell, an “escapee of Corporate America,” and co-founder Steve Williams, who owns a coffee shop in Austin, used 100 percent organic, fair trade Arabica beans to create a smooth, lower-acid cold-brew coffee. Then they packaged their flavored concentrates into recyclable glass bottles and launched in 2012. The following year, Chameleon released a line of single-serving, ready-to-drink coffees that are now sold in Sprouts, Target, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods Market and other retailers across the country. This year, the company is expecting “explosive growth,” with expanded distribution and new products, Campbell says.
“Since day one, we have always said that uncompromising standards for the highest quality, consciously crafted coffee will always be the foundation of Chameleon Cold-Brew,” co-founder Chris Campbell says. Chameleon jumped into the cold-brew coffee scene a few years ago when the trend was really starting to pick up steam. Campbell, an “escapee of Corporate America,” and co-founder Steve Williams, who owns a coffee shop in Austin, used 100 percent organic, fair trade Arabica beans to create a smooth, lower-acid cold-brew coffee. Then they packaged their flavored concentrates into recyclable glass bottles and launched in 2012. The following year, Chameleon released a line of single-serving, ready-to-drink coffees that are now sold in Sprouts, Target, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods Market and other retailers across the country. This year, the company is expecting “explosive growth,” with expanded distribution and new products, Campbell says.
5 entrepreneurs bringing natural industry values to the coffee market
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like