Five Fundraisers And New Businesses To Support On National Coffee Day

Coffee tastes even better when it’s paired with a good cause. In fact, it’s pretty rare I see a bag, can, or bottle without a supplementary positive.

Eco-friendly initiatives. Paper recycling. Supporting women-owned farms. It’s so common it can be a little overwhelming at times (and according to the commonly cited USDA, these promises can even be unreliable). It helps to go straight to the source by supporting a smaller business with less middleman and smokescreens. People who live close by. People you can see.

We have newly founded black-owned businesses, we have charities, we have fundraisers. Take a look at the list below and put your money toward a good cause:

1. Wild Barn Coffee

Grab your wallets! This limited-time offer is exclusive to National Coffee Day: 100% of cold brew proceeds will go to families and businesses hit by the Pacific Coast’s ongoing wildfires.

I’ve seen a few days in Washington just this month with yellow skies and putrid air. I can only imagine what California and Oregon are going through. While I’m not a fan of cold brew, I am a fan of coffee that helps people in need. Your money will make sure those hit hard by the wildfires — whether that involved losing a home or losing a business — will have food, water, and supplies.

Buy a six-pack or a twelve-pack at Wild Barn Coffee‘s site here.

2. El Parche Coffee

The coronavirus hit coffee farms hard, to say the least. When it’s not getting farmers too sick to work, it’s keeping farmers from their coffee lots in the first place.

The country at large is doing no better. El Parche Coffee has decide to reroute some of their funds toward helping those in need with their Together For Colombia Benefit Program. Purchases of their specially marked coffee and merchandise will see 100% funds going to Colombian families, sending food and supplies to reduce the impact from the pandemic. Colombian coffee is my absolute favorite origin, so I have no doubt these bags will be delicious, to boot.

Make National Coffee Day a year-round affair. You can support El Parche Coffee‘s Together For Colombia Benefit Program at their site here.

3. Nirvana Soul

Ooh, this is some gorgeous packaging design. It’s the most vaporwave coffee bag I’ve seen yet.

This retro-fashioned black-owned coffee shop just opened up in San Jose, started by two sisters with a dream of bringing their community together. I’m happy to say their NBC news story shows both the shop and its customers are keen on masking up, too. They source coffee from Ethiopia and El Salvador, among others, and boast coffee notes ranging from citrus to robust chocolate. I’m going to buy their decaf blend Bliss myself, and I’ll be happy to add their beautiful packaging to my growing specialty coffee bag collection.

Support a new black-owned business by buying a bag of beans (or a hat) from Nirvana Soul‘s website here.

4. Blackology

Opening up a little earlier this summer, this is a black-owned cafe I’ve had my eye on for months. They recently added a decaf bag to their collection, that of which will definitely show up in my Decaf, Decaf Everywhere series.

Daily Coffee News published a great feature earlier this month on the founder of Blackology: Lori Jones, a former head chef, decided to give the coffee industry a try to bring her own perspective into the mix. One of her many goals is to give black coffee a boost (which is no small feat, as it’s the most niche out of today’s coffee drinkers). Her current goal is to establish a brick-and-mortar location, with the future goal to work with a roaster. Let’s help her!

Give black coffee another chance by checking out Blackology‘s website here.

5. Grinda Coffee Co.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Grinda Coffee Co.

This recently established black-owned coffee shop prides itself on the grind and hustle, boasting a selection of delicious single origin beans across the African continent. Not only that, they love to feature local artists to give back to their community. One of my favorite things about going to a cafe (back when I actually visited) was getting to see original paintings up close. Add some live music or a poetry session and I’m a happy camper.

While their online store is currently under construction, you can find Grinda Coffee Co. at their Facebook page and their Instagram.

If you want to look for more coffee businesses to support, check out:

I do an ongoing decaf coffee review series called Decaf, Decaf Everywhere. I’ve recently looked at BLK & Bold and Boon Boona Coffee, both black-owned coffee businesses.

A big problem with the coffee industry is too much money being funneled into the middleman. This Hmong couple decided to take their business into their own hands: they grow, roast and distribute their coffee locally.

Coffee roasting has a nasty carbon footprint. The Bellwether Roaster is looking to change that with a state-of-the-art design that recycles the same air, all while providing a better roast.