Only a third of people in England drink coffee (though the first shop opened in Oxford, back in the 16th century). Soon there were 3000 coffeehouses (women were banned, as they were considered ‘places to be merry’). One King even tried to ban coffee, believing the excitement would cause him to be dethroned!
Sustainable coffee packaging is difficult, as it’s important to stop air getting to the beans, but most ‘biodegradable packaging’ comes from flammable eucalyptus trees (Spain and Portugal have already banned new plantations, due to wildfires).
a coffee that shares profits with animal sanctuaries
Sanctuary Coffee is a premium coffee roaster, that is unique in that it shares its profits with animal shelters. The range includes a Colombian blend (to support small farmers), a House Brew (to fund co-operatives) and a House Espresso (if you like your coffee strong!) Serve with organic oat barista milk for a frothy coffee treat.
Avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions (NHS says 1 cup of weak coffee or 2 cups of weak tea is fine, but coffee shop drinks tend to be higher in caffeine). It’s best to just bin coffee grounds (adding to compost could harm garden creatures, due to caffeine). Use a sink filter to prevent clogged drains.
After adopting a greyhound, they learned that greyhound charities receive no government funds to help the 3 million dogs rescued from the racing industry. Now sold in 200 shops & cafes, other beneficiaries include a Welsh animal sanctuary that undertook a huge rescue from an illegal slaughterhouse that resulted in a government raid (the pigs cost almost £5000 a month to feed).
a shade-grown coffee to help migrating birds
Bird & Wild uses profits to help the RSPB and songbirds in coffee-growing regions. All their coffee is shade-grown to allow farmers to grow organically (and grow other crops alongside, for more income to sell at local markets). Glass jars are sent with recycled shredded cardboard) and wholesalers can buy coffee buy the case, at discounted prices.
Shade-grown coffee plantations also help for more plant and insect diversity. To compare, unshaded coffee mono-cultures found as few as 6 to 12 bird species, whereas just one shade-grown coffee plantation in Mexican noted 184 bird species (including 46 migratory). One shade-grown coffee plantation in India found 28 species of mammals alone (shade-grown coffee is also better for endangered bees, who like the flowering plants that thrive in them).
single-origin coffees to empower women farmers
The Little Coffee Company is a woman-owned company that sells beans grown by women, paying female farmers up to 125% more than the Fair Trade minimum. Choose from a small range of single-origin coffees. The company also sells biodegradable coffee pods (or you could simply use their coffee in reusable stainless steel coffee capsules – one purchase lasts a lifetime). The range includes:
- Cameroon (pecan, spice)
- Tanzania (chocolate, caramel)
- Ethiopia (blueberry, apple)
- Jamaica (apple, cherry, milk chocolate)
This company also donates solar lamps in remote areas of East and West Africa, for each purchase sold. Just 1 solar lamp can increase reading time and decrease carbon emissions (and save money). But also help to prevent pollution and fires, by not using dangerous kerosene (families often spend 25% of income on kerosene, which can also cause lung cancer).
a coffee social enterprise to prevent homelessness
Change Please is an amazing social enterprise that has academies in London & Manchester, to train homeless people to become trained baristas, through sale of own-brand coffee (wholesalers can order start-up kits). Referrals are made via charity partners, government agencies, probation services and NHS community services. Trainees receive a Living Wage and access to CV-writing sessions, mock interviews, paid annual leave and discounts. The range includes ‘Two Giraffes’ coffee which employs 500 coffee workers to grow cash crops and a rainforest-friendly coffee from Brazil with a solar farm that powers local homes.
a prison coffee roastery (to reduce reoffending)
Redemption Roasters offers coffees hand-roasted by prisoners in Hertfordshire at HMP Mount (which used to have a lot of drug problems). This gives jobs and training, to help inmates find jobs on release. A portion of wages are set aside, to access on release.
Training prisoners is not being ‘soft on crime’, as it ends up with safer communities for all of us. Most crime is committed by people who have already been to prison. So it pays to train prisoners up to do something useful in society. Almost half of prisoners in England and Wales commit crime within one year of being released, so schemes like this help save the Treasury money (around £131,000 is spent on every re-offender, which could otherwise be spent say on the NHS).
a naturally decaffeinated artisan coffee
Most coffee companies use chemicals to remove the caffeine. Look in stores for brands that use the Swiss Water Process. Another process is used by Chimney Fire Coffee, a Fair Trade sustasinable coffee brand that uses sugar cane instead, a natural compound that grows on Colombian farms alongside coffee cherries, then the beans are soaked for several hours to draw out the caffeine.
This coffee company was founded by a man who worked in coffee/cocoa traceability in Ghana, before moving back to the UK. A portion of each sale is donated to a charity that sends bicycles and spare parts to Ghana, which supplies clean and free transport modes, for people to reach college and work. Surplus coffee is donated to local communities.
inspiration from abroad: coffee to help dog rescues
Grounds & Hounds Coffee (USA) is a great idea to inspire, donating 20% of profits to fund shelters with rescues, spay/neuter programs and vaccines. The creatively-named blends include Soul Pup, Morning Walk, Good Boy, Paper & Slippers and Rescue Roast! The company was set up by a young American entrepreneur after adopting his two rescue dogs. Subscription packages include dog-inspired ceramic coffee mugs. How more interesting than just buying a jar of coffee from Tesco?