Our Commitment to Environmental Stewardship and Ethical Sourcing
Great Coffee Begins with Respecting People & the Earth
View DetailsWhat does sustainability mean to us?
It means no chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides are ever applied to our coffee.
We prioritize purchasing certified organic coffee whenever possible, but we recognize that many small farms around the world lack the resources to achieve organic certification.
Sustainability to us also means working directly with these small farms, ensuring that their practices align with our environmental and ethical standards. By supporting these farmers, we help them adopt sustainable farming methods that promote soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity.
Our commitment extends beyond the farm—through every step of our supply chain, we strive to minimize our environmental impact and promote fair trade practices. Together, we’re not just making great coffee; we’re making a positive difference for people and the planet.
Doing the right thing is at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we created our BREWS coffee-buying program, a five-point process that guides us in choosing only the best, most ethically sourced coffee. This ensures that every coffee we purchase aligns with our values and supports a better world.
Our BREWS Coffee Buying Program: A Commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact
At The Great Coffee Project, we are dedicated to ensuring that every cup of coffee we produce aligns with our core values of sustainability and ethical practices.
Our BREWS Coffee Buying Program stands for:
- Biodiversity,
- Responsible Sourcing,
- Environmental Sustainability,
- Water Conservation, and
- Social Responsibility.
This buying program underscores our commitment to protecting the planet and supporting communities. 100% of our coffee meets the stringent requirements of BREWS.
By partnering with small farms worldwide, utilizing sustainable farming techniques, conserving vital resources, and donating 20% of each sale to the buyer's chosen non-profit, we are making a positive impact on both the environment and society
Join us in our mission to create a better world, one cup of specialty coffee at a time.
How The Great Coffee Project supports farmers worldwide
Source today without depleting tomorrow
Why source from ethical farmers?
We source our coffee from ethical farmers who have made a commitment to sustainable practices. These farmers face many challenges but are dedicated to growing their coffee in an environmentally-friendly way that sometimes requires labor to take the place of what chemicals or machines could do. They work hard to educate themselves on the latest sustainable farming practices to provide us we us with high quality coffee every day. Farmers who commit to to these ethical practices are doing so while taking on risk, and in some cases, foregoing easier profits. The Great Coffee Project are proud to source from farmers who make the right choice, not the easy.
Additional Benefits of Ethical Farming
- Improving food safety
- Protecting native species
- Reducing greenhouse gases
- Protecting water from pesticides
- Combating erosion
- Restoring damage to the biosphere
- Reducing chemical run-off
- Returning carbon to the soil
- Safer conditions for farmers
A little goes a long way
Financial support for rural agriculture
1
Prosperity over profit
We partner with Kiva to fund micro loans to farmers worldwide: HERE. Kiva never takes a fee from lenders, which means 100% of the funds you lend on Kiva go toward supporting borrowers’ loans.
2
We choose
We choose where to make the impact. We target farmers who demonstrate a commitment to ethical agriculture in areas of the world susceptible to economic instability, imbalances in market parity, and lacking environmentally friendly incentives.
3
Ripple Effect
We enable farmers to create opportunity for themselves, which in turn shapes the lives of their families and workers, and influences the safety and stability of their communities. That ripple effect can further extend to future generations too.
Evening the playing field for every farm
What is Fair Trade and Direct Trade? How does it help farmers?
As part of our BREWS coffee-buying program, we utilize Fair Trade and Direct Trade programs whenever possible. Applying Direct Trade means our coffee has been sourced directly from farmer to roaster, removing the middle-man. This arrangement focuses on the quality of the coffee, which farmers are rewarded for with higher prices; and the symbiotic relationship between farmer and roaster – it’s a true, trusted, partnership. Fair trade is a certification program that promotes social justice and equality to farmers in developing countries by providing equal trade opportunities and access to capital, and requiring fair farm worker wages and environmentally sustainable practices.
Planting a Tree with Every Purchase
Every time you purchase our specialty coffee, we plant a tree in a previously deforested area through our partnership with Ecologi. Together, we’re restoring ecosystems and fighting climate change, one tree at a time.
Ecologi's projects span across the globe, focusing on regions that are in dire need of reforestation. From the tropical forests of Madagascar to the arid lands of Kenya, Ecologi works with local communities to plant native and diverse tree species. These efforts not only restore vital ecosystems but also provide jobs, improve local agriculture, and increase biodiversity. By supporting Ecologi's projects, we contribute to the long-term health of our planet and the well-being of its inhabitants.
Farms and farmer's we've funded
We partner with Kiva.org to provide microloans to farmers around the world, enabling them to purchase the products and labor needed to advance their sustainable farming initiatives. Through these microloans, we empower farmers to enhance their practices, increase their yields, and contribute to a healthier planet. Now, let’s meet some of the farmers who are making a difference.
Juana from Costa Rica
Juana, a 62-year old married woman, is hoping to turn her coffee farming project into something that could drastically improve the quality of life for her and her family.
With this loan, Juana plans on purchasing supplies for better care of the plants – which in turn should yield larger harvests at more desirable prices. Her dream? To be able to provide greater stability financially through what was once just a small undertaking from home!
Luis from Colombia
Luis is a coffee and tomato farmer, married with two children, and has 25+ years of farming experience.
The average agriculture annual salary in Colombia is $9,000 USD, and 38% of its land is used for agriculture. Colombia is the 4th largest coffee producer in the world.
Germán from Peru
Germán, a 38-year old villager of El Edén in Jaén has been committed to growing sustainable coffee for the last five years.
Working as both a welder and farmer allows him to sustain his family while pursuing his passion; however, he needed assistance with purchasing soil amendments and paying laborers who help maintain the grounds. This loan provided an additional layer of support towards sustaining not only himself but also helping others do their part in green efforts too!
Rogers from Uganda
Rogers is a proud father of three living in the Kinankole Kyotera area of Uganda.
For nearly ten years, he's been working hard as a coffee farmer and providing livelihoods for his family by growing clonal/Robusta seedlings - but now Rogers needs help to upgrade his greenhouses so that production can be increased and more money generated from sales.
Videlmo from Peru
A loan helped to buy organic compost and to pay workers to remove weeds from his coffee farm.
Videlmo is 42 years old and lives with his wife and young children in the village of La Laguna, San José del Alto, Jaén. He has been cultivating organic coffee for 20 years and sells his output through the Centrocafe cooperative.
Hersy from Colombia
Hersy is a coffee, bean, and corn farmer, and a single mother of two daughters.
It is estimated that the coffee-growing region of Colombia is warming by ½ degree Fahrenheit per decade, causing increased instances of drought and mudslides, and fluctuations in crop growing cycles. 95% of Colombia’s coffee farms are small, independent farms.
Christine from Uganda
Christine is a married coffee farmer who depends on this livelihood to raise and educate her three children.
Agriculture employs 70% of Uganda’s population, and coffee is Uganda's leading cash crop. The average agriculture annual salary in Uganda is $16,300 USD.
Let's do some good together
