Our Story
Every cup connects climate responsibility with human flourishing. Follow coffee's journey from farm to cup and discover how we minimize environmental impact while supporting the communities that grow it.
The Journey
Follow coffee's path through seven critical stages, where we minimize environmental impact while maximizing human benefit.
Farming is where most of coffee's carbon footprint begins, with emissions from fertilizer use, irrigation, and land management. Beyond the numbers, farming is also where coffee's human story is most deeply rooted.
Women-led cooperatives cultivate coffee at high elevations with careful land stewardship, while the program invests in health insurance, financial literacy, and additional income opportunities like goats and kitchen gardens.
Harvesting is when a year's work comes to fruition. In most specialty regions, including Rwanda and El Salvador, ripe cherries are picked by hand, preserving quality and keeping emissions relatively low. The primary sustainability challenge in this stage is social, not environmental.
A fourth-generation family business since 1850, Las Lilas exemplifies sustainable harvesting through selective hand-picking of Bourbon variety cherries in San Miguel, El Salvador (1400-1500 m.a.s.l.). Their meticulous approach preserves quality while maintaining strong relationships with local farmers across Central America.
Turning cherries into export‑ready green coffee shapes both flavor and footprint. Method matters: washed processing creates clean, bright flavors but requires more water and energy, while natural sun‑drying is lower impact but climate‑dependent and produces different flavor profiles. This stage is where environmental stewardship meets community investment.
At Las Lilas Family Estates in El Salvador, four generations of expertise guide their washed processing method, creating clean, bright flavors while emphasizing quality assurance and superior product selection throughout the process.
After processing, green coffee moves from farms to mills, then to export ports, and finally across oceans. We avoid air freight and consolidate shipments by sea, the most efficient mode per kilogram. The challenging mountain roads in origin countries tell a story of resilience and dedication.
Overland trucking on challenging mountain roads in Rwanda and Guatemala is where much of this stage's footprint accrues—and where the dedication of origin communities is most evident.
Roasting transforms flavor—and, in conventional setups, can be a carbon hot spot (0.2–0.5 kg CO₂e/kg from burning gas). We roast on a Bellwether electric roaster, which eliminates on‑site combustion. This is where cutting-edge technology meets California's clean energy future.
Our roasting location in Costa Mesa runs on California's grid—among the cleanest in the U.S. and steadily decarbonizing. As the grid gets greener, our roasting emissions will drop even further.
Packaging protects freshness but can carry hidden impacts. Conventional multilayer plastic‑foil bags are difficult to recycle and typically add 0.1–0.3 kg CO₂e/kg. We designed a reuse‑first system that reduces long‑term waste.
First shipment: Recyclable paper tube + biodegradable inner bag for freshness. The tube is durable enough to repurpose at home.
Refills: Biodegradable plant‑based bag only—far less material per shipment.
Getting roasted coffee from our roastery to your door adds 0.3–0.7 kg CO₂e/kg (speed is the biggest driver—air/express is far higher than consolidated ground). We prioritize efficiency over speed to minimize impact.
We prioritize ground shipping and pack compactly to minimize weight and volume. Every delivery choice balances freshness with environmental responsibility.
Carbon Positive
Through our partnership with TerraPass, we purchase Green-e Climate certified carbon offsets covering at least 200% of our calculated emissions across the entire supply chain. Each bag delivered doesn't just balance its impact—it helps push the supply chain toward climate positivity.
TerraPass Partnership
Our commitment to climate positivity is backed by TerraPass, a pioneering carbon offset provider that has been leading the industry since 2004. Through their Green-e Climate certified offsets, we ensure every emission is not just neutralized—but doubled—with verified, impactful carbon reduction projects.
Green-e Climate certification provides the industry's highest level of third-party assurance. Every offset is verified under internationally recognized standards including Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), Climate Action Reserve (CAR), and American Carbon Registry (ACR).
With over two decades of experience, TerraPass has offset more than 43 million metric tons of CO₂— equivalent to removing 9.3 million cars from the road for an entire year. Their expertise spans continents and project types, ensuring diverse and resilient carbon reduction.
TerraPass projects meet strict additionality requirements—meaning they wouldn't exist without carbon offset funding. Every project is transparent, trackable, and contributes to real, measurable environmental improvements beyond business-as-usual scenarios.
Supporting forest restoration and protection projects that not only sequester carbon but also preserve biodiversity and support local communities.
Every offset we purchase is publicly verifiable and traceable. TerraPass maintains detailed project registries and impact reports, ensuring complete transparency in our climate commitments.
Quick Reference
| Stage | Typical Emissions (kg CO₂e/kg roasted coffee) | Main Drivers | Our Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming | 1.5–4.0 | Fertilizers, land use, irrigation | Source from stewardship‑minded producers; fully offset today |
| Harvesting | 0.1–0.3 | Mechanization vs handpicking | Handpicked specialty; fair, dignified work |
| Processing | 0.3–0.6 | Water use and processing method choice | Support efficient, low‑waste, community‑benefit methods |
| Transportation (origin) | 0.4–0.8 | Trucking to port, ocean freight mode | Avoid air; consolidate sea freight |
| Roasting | 0.2–0.5 (conventional); ~0.05 electric | Fuel combustion vs grid electricity | Bellwether electric on a greening CA grid |
| Packaging | 0.1–0.3 | Material type and weight | Reusable tube first; biodegradable refills |
| Shipping (last mile) | 0.3–0.7 | Speed/mode, parcel density | Ground‑first, compact packs |
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Our partnership with Zero Carbon Coffee brings you sustainably sourced, environmentally conscious coffee that doesn't compromise on quality or taste.
Every bean is sourced from farms committed to sustainable agriculture practices and environmental stewardship, ensuring quality that respects our planet.
From farm to cup, every step of our process is designed with environmental responsibility in mind, reducing impact while maximizing flavor.
Experience the difference that sustainable coffee makes
Join Us
Every subscription supports sustainable farming practices and helps us work toward a more sustainable coffee industry. Start your zero-carbon coffee journey today.
View Subscription PlansOur Huehuetenango coffee comes from a network of women producers whose collaboration improves quality and access to market, while proceeds support women's health services in rural communities.
Capturing methane emissions from landfills—a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO₂— and converting it to clean energy or safely destroying it.
Supporting residential solar installations and clean energy projects that displace fossil fuel-based electricity with renewable alternatives.
Advanced technologies and process improvements that reduce industrial emissions at manufacturing facilities and chemical plants.
Permanently sealing abandoned oil wells to prevent methane leaks and environmental contamination while creating jobs in affected communities.
Holistic approaches that combine carbon sequestration with ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and community benefits.
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