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Global Citizenship Through Coffee: The Bridges We Build
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COFFEE AS A CULTURAL BRIDGE
December on the Mendocino Coast carries a special kind of quiet as the fog lifts off the headlands, the lights in kitchen windows glow, and that first cup of coffee warms cold hands. This December we want to celebrate Global Citizenship: the understanding that every cup we brew is connected to lives and landscapes far beyond our own.
For more than fifty years, coffee has been our medium.
Our message is building connection.
From our roastery in Fort Bragg spanning all the way to the hillsides of Rwanda, our work is guided by our intention: to inspire possibility and awaken potential in the communities we serve.
This month, we honor Rwanda’s story of healing, the spirit of the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award, and the farmers whose craft fills your cup.
Honoring the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizen Award
In 2008, the interfaith coffee farmers of East Africa and Thanksgiving Coffee Company were honored with the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University.
The award recognized:
our commitment to ethical and fair trade;
our work empowering and connecting farmers and consumers;
our pursuit of economic and social justice and environmental sustainability;
and our belief that every person can help create a more peaceful world.
For us, this wasn’t simply a recognition of the past, but a compass for the future. It affirmed what has always been at the heart of Thanksgiving Coffee: coffee as a bridge between cultures, between faiths, and between people who may never meet but are deeply connected through the choices we make every day.
Rwanda: Rebuilding Through Relationship
Dukunde Kawa Cooperative farms span ten kilometers in Rwanda’s northern hills, where over 80% of members are women. Fair Trade Certified and winners of the SCAA Sustainability Award, this cooperative produces elegant coffee through meticulous daily harvesting and processing. Farmers bring fresh cherries to central washing stations in Musasa, where they are depulped, fermented, washed, and dried on raised beds—creating a cup with natural sweetness, citric brightness, and deep cocoa notes.
Coffee Farmers sorting coffee cherries, Rwanda
Mother and coffee farmer of Dukunde Kawa Cooperative, Rwanda
Rwandan coffee growing in the hills
Overlooking the drying racks from atop a beautiful mountain view, Rwanda
Rwanda: Dukunde Kawa
Our Rwanda Single Origin is the featured coffee of the month. It is an invitation to taste the elegance and strength of Rwandan craftsmanship.
This is a coffee to slow down with. One to sip while you read, cook, or watch the morning light move across your own horizon.
Tasting Notes:
- Red plum brightness
- Hibiscus and floral lift
- Honeyed sweetness
- Cocoa depth
- Clean, lingering finish
Gorrilla Fund Legacy
Our relationship with Rwanda began in 2004, when Co-Founder Joan Katzeff traveled there to establish her first solo international partnership with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. It was a defining moment in our history — a woman-led sourcing journey rooted in relationship, ecological responsibility, and courage.
In 2005, Co-Founder Paul Katzeff followed as part of a USAID initiative, working alongside Rwandan cooperatives to develop cupping labs and strengthen farmer-led quality. Together, Joan and Paul built a partnership that connected coffee farming, community renewal, and gorilla conservation across almost two decades.
Through this collaboration, we launched the Gorilla Fund Cause Coffee line in 2005, using Fairtrade Rwandan coffee to support the protection of mountain gorillas and the communities who share their habitat. In 2017, we expanded this legacy with Grauer’s Gorilla Coffee, made with Organic and Fairtrade beans from the Congo to support critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas.
In total, our Gorilla Fund Coffees raised $106,209 to support conservation, education, and habitat protection in Rwanda and the Congo.
This partnership reflects the heart of our ethos: a cup that protects life, uplifts communities, and strengthens the ecosystems we all share.
A December Recipe: Rwanda Coffee + Cardamom Cake
Recipe: East African Coconut Cardamom Cake
A simple, beautiful cake inspired by coastal East African flavors, created to pair with Rwanda Single Origin.
Serves: 8
Time: ~10 minutes prep + 35 minutes bake
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
(organic if possible)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup canned coconut milk (full-fat preferred)
- ½ cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional but lovely)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round cake pan or loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the coconut milk, melted butter or oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using, sprinkle shredded coconut evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes (round pan) or up to 40 minutes (loaf pan), until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool slightly, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy a slice with a fresh cup of Rwanda Single Origin, and notice how the cardamom and coconut cradle the coffee’s brightness in a gentle, inviting way.
How to Practice Global Citizenship with Your Cup
Global citizenship can feel like a big idea, but it lives in very small, daily choices. Here are a few simple ways to bring this theme to life:
- Brew with intention. Take a quiet moment to acknowledge the farmers, land, and hands that brought this coffee to you.
- Learn a farmer story. Visit our blog and read more about our origin partners and interfaith cooperative work.
- Share a cup. Make Rwanda coffee for a friend, neighbor, or coworker, and tell them a bit about the people behind the beans.
- Leave a review. Your feedback helps us tell farmer stories and grow support for relationship-grown coffee.
- Stay connected. Join our email list for monthly stories from origin, regenerative sourcing updates, and recipe pairings.
Every time you choose coffee that honors the people and our planet, you’re participating in a different kind of economy. An economy that is rooted in gratitude, reciprocity, and long-term relationship.
To our long-time customers and to those finding us for the first time, thank you. Your daily coffee ritual makes this work possible.
To the farmers of Rwanda: we see your courage, your craft, and your commitment to community. It is our honor to stand in partnership with you.
From our harbor in Fort Bragg to your table, may this season remind us how deeply connected we truly are, and how every choice we make can help shape a more just and compassionate world.
Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup™
Lavender Grace is the Sustainable consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
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