Conscious Coffee is a green coffee importing co-op committed to building and supporting fair and sustainable trade relationships. As a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, their goal is to make coffee growing a sustainable and beneficial endeavor for farmers and their communities. Conscious Coffee is constantly improving business practices and striving to reduce emissions year after year all while offering fantastic coffee from around the world.

Larry’s Coffee is the gold standard for an eco-friendly business—they rely on natural daylight in their roasting warehouse, use solar for power, used reclaimed materials for their fencing, and use rainwater to run their bathrooms and gardens. In addition, their packing is sustainable and biodegradable. Anything eco-friendly that comes to mind, Larry’s has it in spades.

With a goal to make the coffee industry more environmentally friendly at every level of the supply chain, Counter Culture Coffee is a company built on absolute accountability. The company releases a thorough Transparency Report every year breaking down their carbon footprint and highlighting various employee initiatives aimed at bettering their communities. In their 2019 report, CCC reduced emissions on coffee sold by 43% from their first analysis in 2010.

Portland Coffee Roasters sets the standard for eco-friendly businesses in the PNW and regularly exceeds their sustainability goals year after year. All their organic waste is composted and over 56.5 metric tons of waste was recycled last year alone. They use skylights to cut down on electricity usage, and PCR’s headquarters and other buildings are supplied by 100% renewable energy. PCR also has zero emission deliveries for local and downtown customers via B-Line bicycle delivery.

Equator Coffee goes the extra mile to make strong relationships with coffee growers. They support sustainable farming practices and offer better rates of pay for growers. Once those beans make it stateside, Equator uses roasters with 80% less carbon emissions than traditional roasters. To top it all off, they also have a World Bicycle Relief Blend which supplies bikes to communities in need around the world.

Peace Coffee is a Certified B Corp and has remained dedicated to forming long term partnerships with farmer cooperatives and purchasing coffee at fair, sustainable prices. In an effort to offset their carbon footprint, they built solar panels for their warehouse, which has the added benefit of supplying energy to neighboring communities. On top of that, Peace Coffee is dedicated to zero-emissions bicycle coffee delivery within the Minneapolis area.

Grounds for Change is a sustainability leader throughout Washington state. Among many other initiatives, Grounds for Change uses 100% renewable energy to offset all of their CO2 emissions. They compost all of their organic waste, including coffee grounds and food scraps, and recycle all paper products. They work closely with dozens of local and national nonprofits to better the environment for everyone while also dedicating 1% of their profits to 1% For The Planet.

HEY Coffee is quite the maverick in New Orleans. When they opened in 2010, HEY Coffee was one of the first businesses to compost in New Orleans Parish. Over 10 years later, they got rid of their garbage entirely through comprehensive recycling programs and increasing their composting. Now, all the burlap sacks from coffee beans are primarily used as Mardi Gras costumes and for artistic endeavors throughout their neighborhood.

Pachamama Coffee Cooperative is the first specialty coffee roaster in North America entirely owned and governed by farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ethiopia. The co-op delivers freshly roasted coffee direct to consumers while ensuring profits flow back to their areas of origin. Pachamama also empowers small-scale farmers to retain ownership and control of their coffee across the value chain—from seed to cup.