3 Coffee Entrepreneurs That Changed the World
The options for enjoying a good cup of coffee are endless with a myriad of brands, styles and blends to choose from. Some of the coffee entrepreneurs also support environmental and social causes in addition to marketing their particular brand. Three coffee entrepreneurs who are making a difference in the world:
Grounds & Hounds Coffee
Grounds & Hounds Coffee, founded by Jordan Karcher, provides fair trade organic, whole been coffee. Using only green coffee that is 100% organic and fair trade certified, Grounds & Hounds sources their beans from the best growing regions in the world. After rescuing and falling in love with a Dalmatian of his own, Karcher committed to using the sale of his coffee to support no kill animal rescue organizations. Grounds & Hounds donates 20% of all proceeds to their animal rescue partners.
Rogers Family Coffee The Rogers family grew their small local coffee roasting business into a coffee empire. Concerned with the environmental impact of the popular single serve coffees, Rogers Family Coffee offers a single serve coffee packet that is 97% biodegradable. The Rogers Family uses its own style of fair trade coffee by paying farmers more than the minimum price per pound and importing their coffee beans directly from farmers, rather than through the commodities market. Rogers Family Coffee has its own community aid program, supporting farms in Central America, Mexico and Rwanda. The company has improved worker housing, built or replaced schools, built medical clinics, created day cares and developed nutrition programs for the coffee workers and their families.
White Lion Coffee Kathryn Petty founded the White Lion Tea Company in an effort to bring the simple luxuries into everyday life. In addition to tea, White Lion offers Kenyan coffee in single cup packages. A portion of the proceeds from each box of White Lion Coffee supports the White Lion Pride Mission, which provides scholarships to girls in the Kenyan villages where the coffee and tea are grown. In Kenya, girls are often denied an opportunity to attend school, in favor of providing education for boys. The White Lion Pride Mission supports educational and job opportunities for Kenyan girls. In the United States, White Lion employs adults with physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities in their coffee and tea packaging facility. Socially and environmentally conscious coffees companies can make an impact on the world and contribute to the betterment of society in general. Purchasing from these companies can help support their impact. Jonah Engler is obsessed with coffee. Engler’s an entrepreneur from NYC.