Organic
All Grounds for Change coffee is Certified Organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
Organic coffee seedlings ready for planting in Guatemala
Organic Decaffeinated
Grounds for Change decaf coffee is decaffeinated using a water process that is chemical free and maintains the organic certification of our coffee.
Fair Trade
Farmers who grow fair trade coffee receive a fair price, and their communities and the environment benefit as well.
Fair trade certified coffee directly supports a better life for farming families in the developing world through fair prices, community development and environmental stewardship. Fair trade coffee farmers market their own harvests through direct, long-term contracts with international buyers, learning how to manage their businesses and compete in the global marketplace.
Fair trade coffee farmers in Peru
Reasons why we choose Grounds for Change:
-
Certified organic, fair trade coffee and also shade grown coffee which helps ensure healthy and safe habitats for migratory birds.
-
Contribute 1% of all their sales to environmental groups worldwide through the 1% For the Planet organization.
-
Grounds for Change is the first U.S. coffee roaster to obtain a CarbonFree® Certified Product label.
-
Use sustainable energy (wind, solar and biomass) through Puget Sound Energy’s green power program.
-
Support community-based programs in coffee growing countries such as the Café Femenino program that provides a blend of coffee that is grown, processed and traded exclusively by a group of women in Peru.
Carbon- Free
Grounds for Change partnered with Carbonfund.org to offset 100% of the global warming emissions associated with our coffee. They are the first coffee roaster in the country to complete the rigorous third-party certification process necessary to obtain the Carbon-Free Certified product label.
In addition to our Carbon-Free product certification, they continue to purchase 100% renewable electricity that is generated by wind, solar and biomass. Grounds for Change believes that using sustainable energy whenever possible and offsetting all non-renewable energy used in business operations is critical to long-term success.
Cafe Femenino
There are currently well over 1000 women coffee farmers involved with the Cafe Femenino Coffee Project in Peru. The women farmers participate in all farm activities: preparing the terrain, tending the seedling nurseries, creating compost to fertilize the soil, as well as harvesting, de-pulping, fermenting, and drying the coffee. It is very rare for women to participate in selling coffee or in deciding how the money from coffee sales will be used - all of which they do with Cafe Femenino.
Once the coffee leaves the co-op, all sales contracts for Cafe Femenino must be signed and committed to by a woman, and a woman must participate in the sales and marketing of this coffee. An extra two cents per pound above the fair trade price for green coffee is paid by the US importer of Cafe Femenino, and these funds provide income that goes directly to the women producers - the use of this money is for them alone to decide.
