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Our Certifications
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The coffee industry has a tremendous impact (positive and negative) on the environment, social equity, and peace in coffee growing regions. While certifications are fundamental to our work, our practices often go far beyond the standards that Fair Trade & Organic Certification have set.
We believe in supporting the work that certifying organizations do to raise awareness and hold the coffee industry accountable. Here is what our certifications mean:
B Corp Certified
B Corps are leading a global movement of people using business as a force for good. They use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
LEARN MOREFair Trade
The international FAIRTRADE Mark appears on over 27,000 products sold in more than 120 countries. When you buy products with the international FAIRTRADE Mark, you make a positive difference for small-scale farmers and workers around the world. Products bearing the Mark meet the social, economic and environmental standards set by Fairtrade.
LEARN MOREUSDA Organic
The majority of our coffee products are certified Orgranic.
Organic agriculture produces products using methods that help to preserve the environment and avoid most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics.
USDA Organic standards determine how farmers can grow crops and raise livestock and which materials they may use, in order to achieve certification.
Smithsonian “Bird-Friendly” Coffee
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has developed a certification for coffee that meet their strict standards – coffee that is 100% organic and shade-grown. They call it Bird Friendly Coffee.
Their seal of approval ensures tropical “agroforests” are preserved and migratory birds find a healthy haven when they travel from your backyard to faraway farms producing the beans you enjoy every morning.
Recommended Reading
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Celebrating Women and Coffee
In many countries coffee is one of the main sources of income for women to feed their families. This March we want to celebrate all the hard working women who grow, pick, process and produce the delicious coffees we send out into the world. We know how hard it can be, especially with all the unpaid work women are responsible for. We also know how important it is to have freedom over ones time, saftey and finances. It is our hope at Thanksgiving Coffee Company that all the women working in coffee can live happy and healthy lives.
Ethiopian Coffee Farmer
In order to bring the balance of labour and earned income for women, there is still a long way to go. The gender equality report from the International Coffee Organization found that 70% of labour in coffee production is provided by women, however, women have systematically lower access to resources, land, credit and information, and that keeps the women in a state of poverty.
Nepal- Women Sorting Himalayan ArabicaCoffee
El Salvador - Women Sorting Coffee
Text
Congo - Coffee Farmer and Mother
An estimated 72% of unpaid care work in households globally is done by women.
Uganda- Mirimbe Kawamera Farmer and Mother
Thanksgiving has been fostering empowerment for women and working with our importer Etico to achieve gender equality with the Soppexcca Co-op since 2013. We have now been able to raise over $40,000 and give into the fund to support women coffee farmers for financial stability and resources for education and growth towards a better life.
Nicaragua, Soppexcca Co-op memeber planting coffee
Read more about our support for the women of Soppexcca:
"Recognizing the Value of Womens Unpaid Work".
Celebrate the Women Coffee Farmers of Soppexcca
You can support the women of SOPPEXCCA, and the great community they cultivate together by purchasing their coffee here.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainable Ecology Advocate for Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Consultant for the Honey Hive of Mendocino.
sustainabilityCelebrating Women and Coffee
read more -
Benefits of Coffee - Cultivating health
It’s a New Year and we want to start out with some helpful and hopeful news. Yes, we want to share all about the health and happiness that coffee adds to our lives. As we grow and evolve, so do the studies on the health benefits of coffee.
Coffee Culture
Coffee has been consumed in coffee houses for centuries. People all over the world gather to share in the vast benefits of this darkly brewed elixir. Coffee culture has helped fuel the art of the renaissance, sparked revolutionary thought and even inspired some “to reach divine consciousness in midnight prayers.”
For us coffee is our source of purpose, it is our direct link to meaningful work, and our reason for the regenerative focus of our business. Coffee connects us to our ommunity and an active lifestyle of long walks outdoors with family, friends and pets. It is our companion as we watch the sun rise in the morning and helps us greet the new day.
Billions of cups of coffee are consumed daily, thank goodness it can also support for our health. Of course, health comes in many different forms, as does happiness. Both are individual and can only be attained by the one attaining it. So really, your relationship with coffee is unique to you, and your own physiology. The key here is to know yourself and how best you take your coffee.
Physical Benefits of Coffee
Coffee beans have mostly been associated with caffeine which can bring acuity, focus and a boost of energy. However, it is also full of antioxidants and polyphenol, which helps protect your body in a myriad of ways.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine states that drinking the right amount of coffee can: support longevity, ward off heart failure, support healthy liver enzymes and it even decreases breakage in your DNA strands. The “right amount” is based on what is best for your own body, for many people that is 3-5 cups a day. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, best consult your support team.
“The overall evidence has been pretty convincing that coffee has been more healthful than harmful in terms of health outcomes,” said Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in an April 5, 2021, article in Discover. “For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet.”
Brew A Healthy Cup
For a great detailed and wonderfully researched article read “How to Brew The Healthiest Cup of Coffee by Danielle Braff.
The main breakdown for a healthy cup is this; organic coffee beans grown in high altitudes, with a lighter roast, a fine grind, prepared with a filter, hot but not boiling water, and served black.
Coffee Beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. When you choose organic beans, it will reduce your intake of harmful pesticides. The higher altitude will produce the highest levels of polyphenol in your coffee, so it is recommended to use coffee sourced from Ethiopia, Central and South America for that reason.
The lighter roast and finer the grind will retain the most antioxidants and beneficial compounds in your brewed cup. This means an espresso or Turkish grind can be one of the healthiest choices.
This study indicates that drinking filtered coffee can reduce 30 times more cholesterol-raising compounds, so filtering your coffee is good if cholestoral is a concern.
Lastly the water you use is important, and filtered water is best. If you want the most antioxidants you will need to stick with a hot brew, and best take it black. Black coffee also has micronutrients, including potassium, magnesium, and niacin. Try adding spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or tumeric to increase the flavor.
If you are wanting more caffeine and lower acidity, a cold brew will give you what you are after. And if you’re sensitive to caffeine, don’t worry: decaf coffee has a similar roster of benefits.
Cultivating Health
Live Longer
Support your Heart
Strengthen your DNA
Coffee supports us at Thanksgiving to be part of the whole picture working towards becoming our best selves and building upon our 50 years of coffee knowledge. The coffee farmers we support care about their farms, they cultivate their trees with love, and the coffee they produce tastes like it. Every bag of coffee we roast has been purchased from small family farms and farmer co-ops working towards bettering themselves and their families.
The coffee we produce offers warmth and vigor to carry on even in the face of the difficulties life can throw at you. The ability of our artisan roasters to bring the best qualities of these cultivated beans adds another level of depth and excellence to the overall wellbeing of the process. This coffee inspires us to walk the path of equality and build a healthy planet with every bean. We wish for you a wonderful cup full of hope, joy and inspiration filled to the brim with our deliciously exquisite coffee.
Healthy Choices
A wonderful way to enjoy our high quality coffee is to join one of our Coffee Clubs.
Choose from our Roastmaster's Select or Single Origin subscriptions.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
sustainabilityBenefits of Coffee - Cultivating Health
read more
Celebrating Women and Coffee
In many countries coffee is one of the main sources of income for women to feed their families. This March we want to celebrate all the hard working women who grow, pick, process and produce the delicious coffees we send out into the world. We know how hard it can be, especially with all the unpaid work women are responsible for. We also know how important it is to have freedom over ones time, saftey and finances. It is our hope at Thanksgiving Coffee Company that all the women working in coffee can live happy and healthy lives.
Ethiopian Coffee Farmer
In order to bring the balance of labour and earned income for women, there is still a long way to go. The gender equality report from the International Coffee Organization found that 70% of labour in coffee production is provided by women, however, women have systematically lower access to resources, land, credit and information, and that keeps the women in a state of poverty.
Nepal- Women Sorting Himalayan ArabicaCoffee
El Salvador - Women Sorting Coffee
Text
Congo - Coffee Farmer and Mother
An estimated 72% of unpaid care work in households globally is done by women.
Uganda- Mirimbe Kawamera Farmer and Mother
Thanksgiving has been fostering empowerment for women and working with our importer Etico to achieve gender equality with the Soppexcca Co-op since 2013. We have now been able to raise over $40,000 and give into the fund to support women coffee farmers for financial stability and resources for education and growth towards a better life.
Nicaragua, Soppexcca Co-op memeber planting coffee
Read more about our support for the women of Soppexcca:
"Recognizing the Value of Womens Unpaid Work".
Celebrate the Women Coffee Farmers of Soppexcca
You can support the women of SOPPEXCCA, and the great community they cultivate together by purchasing their coffee here.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainable Ecology Advocate for Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Consultant for the Honey Hive of Mendocino.
Celebrating Women and Coffee
read moreBenefits of Coffee - Cultivating health
It’s a New Year and we want to start out with some helpful and hopeful news. Yes, we want to share all about the health and happiness that coffee adds to our lives. As we grow and evolve, so do the studies on the health benefits of coffee.
Coffee Culture
Coffee has been consumed in coffee houses for centuries. People all over the world gather to share in the vast benefits of this darkly brewed elixir. Coffee culture has helped fuel the art of the renaissance, sparked revolutionary thought and even inspired some “to reach divine consciousness in midnight prayers.”
For us coffee is our source of purpose, it is our direct link to meaningful work, and our reason for the regenerative focus of our business. Coffee connects us to our ommunity and an active lifestyle of long walks outdoors with family, friends and pets. It is our companion as we watch the sun rise in the morning and helps us greet the new day.
Billions of cups of coffee are consumed daily, thank goodness it can also support for our health. Of course, health comes in many different forms, as does happiness. Both are individual and can only be attained by the one attaining it. So really, your relationship with coffee is unique to you, and your own physiology. The key here is to know yourself and how best you take your coffee.
Physical Benefits of Coffee
Coffee beans have mostly been associated with caffeine which can bring acuity, focus and a boost of energy. However, it is also full of antioxidants and polyphenol, which helps protect your body in a myriad of ways.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine states that drinking the right amount of coffee can: support longevity, ward off heart failure, support healthy liver enzymes and it even decreases breakage in your DNA strands. The “right amount” is based on what is best for your own body, for many people that is 3-5 cups a day. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, best consult your support team.
“The overall evidence has been pretty convincing that coffee has been more healthful than harmful in terms of health outcomes,” said Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in an April 5, 2021, article in Discover. “For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet.”
Brew A Healthy Cup
For a great detailed and wonderfully researched article read “How to Brew The Healthiest Cup of Coffee by Danielle Braff.
The main breakdown for a healthy cup is this; organic coffee beans grown in high altitudes, with a lighter roast, a fine grind, prepared with a filter, hot but not boiling water, and served black.
Coffee Beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world. When you choose organic beans, it will reduce your intake of harmful pesticides. The higher altitude will produce the highest levels of polyphenol in your coffee, so it is recommended to use coffee sourced from Ethiopia, Central and South America for that reason.
The lighter roast and finer the grind will retain the most antioxidants and beneficial compounds in your brewed cup. This means an espresso or Turkish grind can be one of the healthiest choices.
This study indicates that drinking filtered coffee can reduce 30 times more cholesterol-raising compounds, so filtering your coffee is good if cholestoral is a concern.
Lastly the water you use is important, and filtered water is best. If you want the most antioxidants you will need to stick with a hot brew, and best take it black. Black coffee also has micronutrients, including potassium, magnesium, and niacin. Try adding spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or tumeric to increase the flavor.
If you are wanting more caffeine and lower acidity, a cold brew will give you what you are after. And if you’re sensitive to caffeine, don’t worry: decaf coffee has a similar roster of benefits.
Cultivating Health
Live Longer
Support your Heart
Strengthen your DNA
Coffee supports us at Thanksgiving to be part of the whole picture working towards becoming our best selves and building upon our 50 years of coffee knowledge. The coffee farmers we support care about their farms, they cultivate their trees with love, and the coffee they produce tastes like it. Every bag of coffee we roast has been purchased from small family farms and farmer co-ops working towards bettering themselves and their families.
The coffee we produce offers warmth and vigor to carry on even in the face of the difficulties life can throw at you. The ability of our artisan roasters to bring the best qualities of these cultivated beans adds another level of depth and excellence to the overall wellbeing of the process. This coffee inspires us to walk the path of equality and build a healthy planet with every bean. We wish for you a wonderful cup full of hope, joy and inspiration filled to the brim with our deliciously exquisite coffee.
Healthy Choices
A wonderful way to enjoy our high quality coffee is to join one of our Coffee Clubs.
Choose from our Roastmaster's Select or Single Origin subscriptions.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company