Best sustainable and ethical coffee companies that sell in the US [2020 edition]

We really enjoyed learning (and trying!) Peace Coffee. We loved various types of coffee (Morning Glory Signature Blend and Tree Hugger were our favorites). Moreover, we found the mission of the organization very impressive, and therefore decided to classify Peace Coffee among the best ethical coffee companies.

Since 1996, Peace coffee has been committed to coffee as a means of deliciously-essential positive change. For almost 30 years, Peace Coffee has prioritized bringing sustainable, ethically-sourced and delectable coffee.

The Peace Coffee team believes that coffee is a lot more than a commodity. Coffee is an intrinsic part of weekends and workdays, brunches and bundt cakes, and everything in between. At the same time, coffee is essential to the farmer partners who carefully and attentively tend coffee trees from seeds to harvest, in hopes of making a good life for their families.

Sustainability has always been and will always be central to Peace Coffee

Since day one, Peace Coffee has roasted 100% organic, Fair trade-certified coffee. Unlike multi-billion dollar coffee corporations, Peace Coffee has been extremely mindful of the impact on coffee partners in the supply chain. Therefore, as the spokesperson confirmed, the organization sources coffee in 2 distinct ways.

• Coffee from farmer cooperatives that are fair trade-certified. This way of sourcing coffee offers sustainable wages and economic opportunities for regions that thrive on partnership stability. Peace Coffee takes a great pride in consistently forging partnerships with cooperatives in a way that is mutually beneficial.
• In addition, Peace Coffee founded a coffee importing cooperative with other like-minded roasters in 1999. Through the initiative, Peace Coffee imports coffee from cooperative farming groups that support small-scale farmers around the world. As an owner of the importer, Peace Coffee has access and visibility into all pieces of the supply chain.

As part of its sustainability, Peace Coffee invested its efforts in transparency with the public. The organization publishes contracts with each cooperative group through a website called Fair Trade Proof. On the website, we found Peace Coffee’s partners and social impact projects in various areas around the globe.

For instance, we learned that Peace Coffee has imported abut 3,415 bags of coffee from Asociación de Pequeños Productores de Café Manos Campesinas since 2000. In addition, Peace Coffee has completed a myriad of projects with that farmer cooperative, such as cupping workshops, promoting best organic practices, and cool farm enhancements.

Last but not least, Peace Coffee has held B Corporation certification since 2017. Through this certification, Peace Coffee upholds the highest standards of social and environmental performance. This allows the organization to “sharpen the vision for putting people and planet over profit and bolster their commitment to being “In It For Good.”

Commitment to positive social impact

In addition to running an organization that sources coffee ethically and sustainably, Peace Coffee gives back to communities around the world, which is what we expect from the best ethical coffee companies.

The organization remains in touch with farmers on the ground to make sure the partnership is meeting their needs. First and foremost, Peace Coffee provides a fair price with a commitment to a long-term trading relationships.

In addition, the organization has started roaster-funded initiatives to help farmers combat coffee leaf rust, climate change, and also impact from COVID-19.

Peace Coffee contributes over $30,000 to the fund annually. This fund is extremely empowering for farmers to solve their most urgent needs or invest in future growth.

Java Planet is a family-owned coffee company that has been providing 100% certified organic coffee to communities across the US since 2009.

We personally admire Java Planet’s coffee selection. We are able to find anything from Fair trade-certified coffee to single origin and even flavored coffee (the chocolate almond bliss is indeed heavenly!).

We also appreciate Java Planet’s mission. Since its onset, the organization’s commitment is to provide the highest quality coffee that supports a healthy body, a healthy community and a healthy planet. Additionally, the organization emphasizes the need to create a sustainable environment for coffee producers through fair compensation.

Commitment backed up by certifications

In order to accomplish such a sustainable balance, Java Planet has secured the certifications from the following organizations:

• USDA Organic certification

What we found particularly amazing about Java Planet is the organization’s commitment to natural, organic and healthy ingredients. The organization does not want their coffee beans to be chemically forced to grow faster or be larger.

Furthermore, Java Planet does not want any chemicals or fertilizers (toxic or otherwise) anywhere in the supply chain, from the farm to the ship and through the roasting process.

In our conversation, Mrs. Jennifer Simmons, the Java Planet Organic Coffee founder and owner, confirmed that chemicals were prohibited even in the cleaning of the production equipment.

• Fair Trade USA certification

There are 4 benefits of the Fair Trade certification.

First, it ensures that coffee producers receive a fair compensation for their work. Specifically, they receive a guaranteed minimum floor price (or the market price, if it’s higher).

Second, Fair Trade provides for fair labor conditions and strictly prohibits forced child and slave labor.

Third, the certification contributes to programs that help with community development. Those programs encompass schools for children, healthcare, and business improvement training.

Fourth, Fair Trade USA certification prohibits harmful agrochemicals and GMOs in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve the valuable environment for future generations.

• Bird Friendly (Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center)

The certification ensures that farmers have access to gourmet markets regardless of farm sizes. Coffee grown in shade-grown farms also provide a healthier environment for farm workers and surrounding communities.

• Rain Forest Alliance.

The certification encompasses all three pillars of sustainability—social, economic, and environmental.

Social impact

Java Planet Organic Coffee has been actively supporting local communities. With various outreach programs, Java Planet aims to support, educate and achieve sustainability. Below are some of the Java Planet’s programs:

• A sponsor and a Friend of the Sweetwater Organic Community Farm for the last five years by donating and serving coffee at multiple fundraisers throughout each year in support of the farm.
• Java Planet has been donating coffee, shipping pallets and canvas shipping bags to The WELL, a nonprofit group in Tampa that helps those in need by providing food, shelter and counseling.
• Java Planet has donated coffee for the Have a Heart Fundraiser for Florida Voices for Animals.
• Coffee has been provided for the last five years for the Say No To Drugs holiday race in Clearwater.

Methodical Coffee is a great choice for those coffee lovers who value a full spectrum of sustainable and ethically-sourced coffee (apparently, a Belly Warmer is a classic take on a diner coffee!). Though Methodical Coffee does not import coffee directly from coffee producers, Will Shurtz, the co-owner, reveals that transparency and traceability are of utmost importance to Methodical.

Therefore, the company works with very small coffee importing companies. These companies always have their “feet on the ground” in the coffee producing countries. They have formed relationships with people over the years; they know the coffee farmers and they know the farms. That’s how Methodical Coffee ensures a responsible and sustainable coffee product.

We have decided to include Methodical Coffee among the best sustainable coffee companies for its transparency and candor. Methodical Coffee knows the full story of coffee beans: where they are from, who grew them, how they were grown, how much the coffee community gets paid.

We really like how Methodical Coffee believes in relationships with farmers. The company buys coffee from the same local communities each season. And, they form relationships with those communities. For example, co-owner David Baker traveled to visit some of the Guatemalan coffee partners.

Methodical Coffee plans develop long-lasting relationships with coffee producing countries and eventually visit all of the partners.

The importance of going an extra mile

Mr. Shurtz emphasized Methodical Coffee’s commitment to sustainability. He and his team want to buy high quality coffee that tastes incredibly and is sourced responsibility.

Mr. Shurtz said that they do not want to contribute to underpaying workers, treating coffee pickers poorly, or taking advantage of farmers. He admitted that the route from the farmer to the roaster can be mysterious. Because most of the process occurs overseas, many coffee companies do trace where coffee beans came from.

However, Methodical Coffee decided to go the extra mile that many large grocery store brands do not. Mr. Shurtz said,

“It’s important to find an importer that you totally trust so that you know you are buying from coffee communities in a traceable way. You want to do repeat purchases and sustain that relationship to buy over and over. So, for us, that’s a huge part of delivering great coffee to our customers, even though they might not be aware of it when they drink their latte. (But, if customers taste our premium coffee right next to an ordinary cup of cheap coffee, they would surely notice.) If you are not paying attention to the route from farmer to roaster, you might be contributing to poor labor practices and hurting workers.”

Pachamama Coffee Cooperative is a coffee cooperative where farmers are the owners. These farmers grow, farm and sell coffee directly to coffee aficionados in the US. Therefore, we strongly believe that Pachamama is a true gem among the best ethical coffee companies in the US.

Pachamama has a wonderful selection of coffee. This coffee comes directly from responsible farmers who care about sustainability, environment and impact at origin.

There’s a ton of profit made in coffee today, but rarely for the farmer. As consumers, we have all the power and we vote with our purchases every day. If you are excited about directly supporting the hard work of farmers, Pachamama might be your choice.

The farmers that own Pachamama have small parcels of land. They typically farm about 2-3 hectares of land to produce specialty coffee. That do that with three pillars in mind: economic viability, social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

You can get to know Pachamamama’s farmers here.

CEO and co-founder Thaleon Tremain explained, “the family provides most of the labor at harvest and chemicals are not applied on the farm. For our members, coffee is a cash crop that helps to keep the family economically stable. With the very low commodity prices for coffee, “sustainability” is primarily economic at this point time. The families are dedicated to social and environmental sustainability.“

All three pillars (economic, social and environmental) create synergies that offer communities a path towards long-term stability.

Pachamama values transparency, fairness and commitment to highest quality.

Pachamama requires that all coffee is organic. Due to this, farms do not use chemicals in coffee farming. Here in the States, Pachamama’s roastery is Certified Organic by CCOF.

Further, the Cooperative pays members no less than $2.25 per pound for their raw, organic coffee.

In addition, profits that Pachamama generates are then shared between the members. Finally, Pachamama members have many community programs, like health initiatives, gender equity training, and scholarships for students.

Countries of origin

Pachamama Coffee Cooperative is 100% owned by these producer co-ops:

• Peru – COCLA, based in Quillabamba. Owned by 8500 families. They roast coffee from Santa Teresa Valley.
• Nicaragua – PRODECOOP, based in Esteli. Owned by 2300 families. They roast coffee from Rio Coco.
• Guatemala – Manos Campesinas, based in Quetzaltenango. Owned by 1,200 families. They roast coffee from Santa Clara de la Laguna.
• Mexico – La Union Regional de Huatusco in Veracruz. Owned by 1,500 families. They roast coffee from Huatusco.
• Ethiopia – Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, based in Addis Ababa. Owned by 240,000 families. They roast coffee from Sidamo and Yirgacheffe.

What sets Portland Coffee Roasters apart from other best ethical coffee companies is its transparency and commitment to ethical and sustainable coffee sourcing. Since its founding in 1996, Portland Coffee Roasters has sourced coffee directly from farmers. They have build sustainable relationships with them and the communities they support.

Portland Coffee Roasters’ business relies on trust and respect to people in every step and process of producing coffee, from seeding to bringing a cup of to the end customers.

Sustainability means many things for Portland Coffee Roasters:

• environmental impact,
• social responsibility,
• prioritization of people’s well-being, health, and
• development of infrastructure to improve the quality of life.

The owners emphasized their commitment to the protection of the supply chain’s most vulnerable people: farmers. The company wants to contribute to the continuous growth of coffee industry on a long run.

With that in mind, Portland Coffee Roasters sources coffee in two different ways: 1) directly from farmers, and 2) via trustworthy partners who work with growers directly. Transparency is of utmost importance in relationships with any partner. Therefore, every bag of coffee has real people’s faces and names attached to it. It is possible trace the beans throughout the entire production process.

Social impact

Portland Coffee Roasters has been working on multiple community projects in different countries and continents for nearly 20 years. Many of these projects were in collaboration with the key organizations such as Human Bean, Shared Source USA  Portland Global Initiatives, and Habitat for Humanity.

These are some of the most recent projects:

• Colombia: earlier this year, Portland Coffee Roasters completed the project of building wastewater collection system at 168 coffee farms within the region of Caldas.
• Costa Rica: Portland Coffee Roasters built a day care center for children of immigrant workers, who work in La Hilda Estate. That’s where they directly source green beans for the single origin Costa Rica coffee.
• Guatemala: Portland Coffee Roasters raised over $10,000 for a vocational school in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. This fund was raised by donating $1 for every 12oz bag of the seasonal Guatemalan coffee sold during the last holiday season. This was enough to send all the applicants – Guatemala’s future growers – through a curriculum of coffee production for 2022.

By choosing coffee from Portland Coffee Roasters, you are choosing to support a global coffee community that respects people, the environment and craftsmanship. Portland Coffee Roasters’ mission is to create positive human connection through coffee, by building a socially responsible coffee business.

Khomanta is a unique family-owned coffee company. Its owners believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to lead a sustainable, decent, and quality life. Therefore, they push for the welfare of coffee producers.

What we find particularly intriguing about Khomanta is its intimate relationships with the coffee producers. Khomanta wants you, a coffee lover, to know who planted, grew and farmed coffee. Therefore, they tell stories about their coffee partners, the Jorge Zamora & Family and the Jeane Guerrero & Family, on their website.

Not only do we appreciate Khomanta’s transparency, but we value their commitment to fairness. On top of regular payments for coffee, Khomanta dedicates 30% of profits to share with the Zamora and Guerrero Families each year. We really appreciate such initiatives from the best ethical coffee companies.

In addition, Khomanta supports local communities in Peru through various initiatives. Those initiatives include:

• Working to bring in an agronomist for monthly educational sessions for coffee producers and surrounding communities. A lot of ideas or directions producers have are outdated or misguided. Therefore, professional guidance is a huge hand up for the majority of producers.
• Creating data logbooks to help producers track all aspects of production.
• Bringing a fermentation monitor for coffee.

We really enjoyed learning about WildSupport. We discovered that sustainability and ethical practices are at the heart of WildSupport. The company’s lifelong mission is to source and sell ethical and sustainable products, including coffee.

While WildSupport offers products in various categories, they invested a lot in the development of WildSupport Coffee. The company currently offers three blends from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Sumatra. The blends are organic and fair-trade certified.

At the time of writing, WildSupport partners with a trusted coffee roaster Smiths (from England). WildSupport relies on Smiths’ strong record in ethical and sustainable relationships with farmers and coffee producers.

We also love WildSupport’s social impact. As one of the best ethical coffee companies, the organization focuses on the environment, nature and wildlife. For instance, they support wildlife rescue projects, buy rainforest to protect it, organize outdoor groups that promote health and well-being, and partner with conservation organizations.

Further, the company dedicates a large share of their profits to support people around the world through various initiatives.

Mocha Joe’s Roasting Co. has nearly 30 years of leadership in social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and artistry in coffee roasting.

Mocha Joe’s has grown from a single cafe in the heart of Brattleboro, Vermont to a vibrant wholesale coffee roasting and green coffee importing business with hundreds of accounts throughout Vermont and New England.

In the coffee industry, Mocha Joe’s has been at the forefront of the Direct Trade movement. They try to develop direct relationships with the coffee farms and buy directly from farmers, cutting out the middleman, so more money can go directly to farmers.

One example of this type of relationship is the Cameroon project. Ten years ago, the founder, Pierre, helped establish the specialty organic coffee trade in Cameroon. Now, the Mocha Joe’s imports thousands of pounds of specialty coffee from Cameroon to roast in Brattleboro.

Mocha Joe’s pays their Cameroon coffee farmers and coffee mill employees 3 to 4 times the going rate. The roaster is directly involved with improving the lives of the Cameroon community. Pierre just came home from Cameroon this week from setting up a new mill for the 2020 coffee season.

Mocha Joe’s Roaster Co. is proud to offer the highest quality single origin coffees from every coffee producing region of the world as well as finely tuned blends and espresso. The Mocha Joe’s motto is “Do Good, Drink Coffee, Great Coffee.” If that ethos resonates with you, Mocha Joe’s can be a great pick!