A Cup of Coffee - And A Commitment to Social Responsibility
Counter Culture Coffee isn’t just serving delicious cup coffee. Let's learn how it shows real “dedication to real environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability”.
Counter Culture Coffee isn’t just serving delicious cup coffee -- Counter Culture Coffee shows real “dedication to real environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability”.
Those words, first scribbled on a yellow legal pad during a brainstorm session in March 2003, are at the core of Counter Culture Coffee’s mission. More than just words, they drive every single decision the company makes. “The goal was always to sell coffee that helps to create positive change in the world,” says Bryan Duggan, Wholesale Operations Manager at Counter Culture Coffee.
In their 25-year evolution from one small roastery in Durham, North Carolina to one of the largest independent specialty coffee roasters in the U.S with 2 roasteries, 13 training centers, and their coffee widely available in retailers across the country, Counter Culture Coffee has not lost sight of their commitment to transparency, quality, and sustainability.
Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage in the U.S. (even more than tap water!), yet the global coffee industry is facing a sustainability crisis. According to the 2020 Coffee Barometer, a report published by a coalition of international NGOs, in coffee-producing countries, coffee farmers, roasters, and traders could play a critical role in addressing many of the most pressing environmental and social challenges identified in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet most coffee companies are failing to report transparently on their commitments and are doing too little to ensure sustainability for farming and farmers (Source: Rainforest Alliance).
Counter Culture Coffee aims to be different, and to serve as a leader in the specialty coffee industry. The company’s values and their commitment to people and the planet have shaped their purchasing principles, environmental sustainability practices, and support for livelihoods around the globe. They set high standards for themselves as well as their suppliers and customers, and they strive to use transparency to create a better company and coffee industry.
Since 2009, Counter Culture Coffee has published an annual transparency report, a first of its kind in the coffee industry. The initial reports detailed the company’s relationships with coffee suppliers -- how they communicated, the quality of the coffee purchased, and the prices paid for it -- in an effort to build consciousness around the connection between those metrics and the wellbeing of coffee farmers. As the company has expanded and evolved, so too have the metrics in their reports. The 2020 transparency report is a comprehensive document that provides a deep dive into all facets of the company: their people (employee demographics and organizational structure), the planet (their carbon footprint and offsets), the product (coffee prices, business practices, producer support, and more), and their finances.
Most recently, in 2020, the company became a certified B Corporation, a designation that signifies commitment to people and the planet, and the only certification that measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance. The rigorous application process for Counter Culture Coffee to become a B-Corp, as well as the annual effort to produce a thorough transparency report, is a clear demonstration of the company’s values in action. Counter Culture Coffee prioritizes social impact, and puts in the work to make it happen. Learn more about Counter Culture Coffee’s decision to go B-Corp and what’s ahead for the company in the full impact story here.
Counter Culture Coffee’s values-driven approach makes them a leader in the coffee industry and beyond. At Impactika, we’re all about purpose-propelled® businesses like Counter Culture Coffee.
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