Thanksgiving Coffee Company had the privilege to co-sponsor the “Native Cinema” event along with Xa Kako Dile: in the main tent at the 2024 Mendocino Film Festival. The sold out audience was alerted at the introduction that the next two and a half hours could make them feel “uncomfortable” and the truths that were shared at this event were even more than that word conveyed.

Corine Pearce - Pomo Basket Weaver

There were beautiful short films on the artistry and teaching of the world-renowned Pomo basketry with Corine Pearce, and the resurgence and validation of the Yurok tribe’s forest management practices using fire which has been practiced in this region for millennia. These controlled burns have now been adopted by Cal Fire and other agencies as extremely effective in controlling dangerous undergrowth and revitalizing the land.

Margo Robbins of the Yurok Tribe bringing prescribed fire back in the film - Fire Tender

This led up to the most significant part of the event – a documentary on MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It was horrifying to learn that we live in parts of the top 5 most dangerous parts of California for Indigenous Women, and also for other Indigenous people (MMIP) as well. Here is a snapshot of an all-too-horrific story: Missing of Murdered Indigenous People Fact Sheet

"The next 2 1/2 hours could make you uncomfortable"

Image from the documentary "We Ride For Her"

raising awareness of the heartbreaking realities

The film WE RIDE FOR HER (directed by Prairie Rose Seminole & Katrina Lillian Sorrentino) follows the birth of a group of motorcycle riding indigenous women who created this group to raise awareness of the heartbreaking realities and to aid in the search for their missing sisters and brothers. This documentary should be required education for all Californians.

Resources:

Local Indigenous Women Run Farm: Xa Kako Dile:

Murdered Missing Indigenous Women: MMIW

History of Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Native Cinema:

Night of Native Cinema

Native Cinema 2023 - Groundworks

Ribbon Cutting for the UC Davis Coffee Center Opening

Fascinating work was showcased on a wide variety of coffee topics, including:

• Thermodynamics of To Go Coffee - What keeps To-Go Coffee Warmest? Study by undergrads.
  (Spoiler alert… It’s the lid.)
• Impacts of Total Immersion Brewing On Cold Coffee Flavor
• Climate Change Impacts on Coffee Growing Regions in Brazil
• A new mobile application for coffee bean grading and evaluation using color, size and defect analysis – all on a mobile phone.

Representative Raw Data -Thermodynamics of To Go Coffee

What does chemical Engineering have to do with coffee - source UC Davis Coffee Center Opening

Itenerary for UC Davis Coffee Center Opening

It was also fascinating that all these studies needed to be underwritten (in one way or another) by some type of sponsorship. The sponsorships ranged from in-kind sponsors who donated 100 cups, in 4 sizes, to Coffee roasters who donated services, to equipment suppliers who donated the funds necessary to do thousands of measurements to prove their thesis. Our higher education facilities are simply not able to fund all these kinds of projects without external financial aid, so they are very vocally appreciative for those who contribute sponsorships.

Upper left, Doctoral Candidate Laudia Anoke-Bempah, upper right Dr. William Ristenpart, Center, Chancellor Gary May, lower left, Peter Giuliano SCA, lower right Richard L. Corsi

Attendees at the opening of the Coffee Center at UC Davis

Interior of the new Coffee Center at UC Davis

UC Davis student roasted beans, from Royal Coffee, chocolate covered by students as well.

Songbird Nicaraguan Coffee | Shade-Grown, Bird-Friendly Coffee

A Cup That Sounds Like the Forest

There’s a moment in the morning, before the day fully arrives, when everything is still soft.

The kettle hums. Light moves through the trees. And when the coffee begins to pour, there’s a feeling, like something living is arriving with it.

Our Songbird Nicaraguan Coffee carries that feeling.

Because this is shade-grown, bird-friendly coffee, cultivated beneath forest canopy where songbirds still find habitat along their migratory paths.

Bird-friendly coffee is one of the most effective everyday ways to support migratory bird habitat.

And when you brew it, you are part of that living system.

Why Shade Grown Coffee Matters More Than Ever

The forests that sustain migratory birds are under pressure.

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has spent decades studying and protecting bird migration across the Western Hemisphere. Their work helps make one thing clear: birds need healthy, connected habitat to survive.

Right now, that system is breaking down.

Since 1970, bird populations in the U.S. and Canada have declined by 29%, or nearly 3 billion birds. Not only rare species, but common birds too. Backyard birds. Songbirds. The ones many of us grew up hearing.

Birds are indicators of ecological health. When they decline, it tells us something deeper is out of balance.

That is one reason this coffee matters.

For nearly three decades, we’ve partnered with the American Birding Association to help protect that habitat through coffee.

What began as a shared belief, that coffee could be grown in a way that supports bird life, has grown into one of our longest-standing relationships. Together, we’ve supported shade-grown practices that allow forests to remain intact, creating space for migratory birds to rest, feed, and continue their journeys.

This is what bird-friendly coffee makes possible.

What is Shade Grown Coffee?

Shade-grown coffee is coffee grown beneath a diverse canopy of trees instead of in cleared, sun-exposed fields.

This kind of farming helps create:

• habitat for migratory birds
• healthier soil and water systems
• natural biodiversity on the farm
• slower cherry development, which often leads to richer flavor

In simple terms:

Better habitat supports better coffee.

That has long been part of our understanding at Thanksgiving Coffee. Great coffee and healthy ecosystems belong together.

How do we grow coffee in a way that supports land, people, and ecosystems together?

A Legacy of Environmental Leadership

This work did not begin recently for us.

In the early years of specialty coffee, Thanksgiving Coffee helped establish the first Environmental Committee within the Specialty Coffee Association of America - what today would be recognized as an early form of a sustainability committee in the coffee industry.

At the time, the language was different.
But the intention was clear: to bring ecological responsibility into how coffee is grown, sourced, and shared.

Paul and Joan Katzeff worked across farmers, cooperatives, and industry leaders to help connect people around a shared understanding that coffee exists within a living system.

Today, many call this coffee sustainability leadership.

At its root, it was something simpler:

Whole systems thinking.

That:

• coffee quality is connected to farmer wellbeing
• farmer wellbeing is connected to ecosystem health
• ecosystem health is connected to how we all participate

This has never been separate from the coffee.

It is the coffee.

Where Coffee Sustainability Began: A Whole Systems Approach

Meet the Coffee: Songbird Nicaraguan

Brewing Habitat: A Daily Ritual

The Just Cup of Her Hands

There are hands behind every coffee harvest.
Hands that plant seedlings beneath shade trees.
Hands that sort cherries at dusk.
Hands that manage homes, finances, children, and crops.
Hands that rarely make the headlines.

This March, during Women’s History Month, we honor the women who quite literally brew the future.

Across Latin America, women perform critical agricultural labor while also carrying the majority of unpaid household work. Historically, much of that contribution has not been financially recognized.

SOPPEXCCA has worked intentionally to change this dynamic.

Through Fairtrade premiums and internal cooperative programs, they invest in:

• Women’s leadership roles within the cooperative
• Access to land titles
• Financial literacy training
• Micro-loan opportunities
• Educational advancement for children

This is not symbolic empowerment. It is structural empowerment.

And when women gain economic agency, farms become more resilient. Environmental stewardship strengthens. Communities stabilize.

That alignment between social justice and ecological care reflects the very heart of our founding philosophy.

While Flor de Jinotega is our March spotlight, we also invite you to explore our full collection of coffee blends:

• Paul’s Blend
• Noyo Harbor French
• Mendocino Vienna
• The Upsetter
• Byron’s Blend

Each roast represents long-term partnership and artisanal roasting rooted in Mendocino’s coastal legacy.

Flor de Jinotega is currently available in 5lb format — ideal for cafés, offices, restaurants, and serious home brewers who believe coffee should carry meaning.

In the early years of specialty coffee, before “sustainability” was a familiar word, a handful of roasters and importers began to ask for more of the coffee trade. What if quality wasn’t just in the cup, but in the care behind it? What if environmental responsibility and economic fairness were part of the definition of great coffee?

From Flavor to Justice: Nicaragua, 1985

Rewriting the Rules of Trade

From Observation to Action

Solidaridad Coop, Shade Grown Song Bird Coffee Farmers - Nicaragua 1996 photo by Paul Katzeff

Beyond Organics: A New Framework

In 1996, Paul presented a groundbreaking green coffee buying framework at the first Sustainability and Coffee Conference hosted by the Smithsonian. Called “Beyond Organics,” the system recognized a range of environmental and social practices: shade-grown coffee, indigenous land stewardship, cooperative participation, biodiversity protection, and more.

The idea was simple: not all progress looks the same, but every step matters.

Building a Committee with a Conscience

As more members of the SCAA began asking hard questions, Paul and a handful of allies proposed forming the first Environmental Committee. It was an uphill battle.

“There was resistance,” Paul admits. “Many in the industry believed a trade association wasn’t the place for politics or activism. But we weren’t pushing politics. We were elevating values.”

That committee—eventually renamed the Sustainability Committee—brought structure, credibility, and accountability to the growing movement. It evaluated certifications, supported origin-based initiatives, and helped small brands tell honest, impactful stories.

2000: A Defining Year

When Paul chaired the SCAA’s 12th Annual Conference in San Francisco, he centered the event around three themes: Quality, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility. It marked a turning point.

During his keynote, he challenged the industry to consider the human cost of low coffee prices. He announced a USAID grant to build cupping labs in Nicaragua, giving farmers tools to taste, evaluate, and price their own coffee for the first time.

The message was clear: coffee is about people.

What We Built Together

Since then, the specialty coffee industry has changed. Terms like fair trade, carbon-neutral, and regenerative are more common. But behind those terms are decades of work from small companies like ours.

Thanksgiving Coffee:

• Supported origin cooperatives through financial transparency
• Donated to reforestation and clean water initiatives
• Converted our delivery fleet to biofuel
• Featured farmers on our packaging before it was common practice
• Advocated for certifications with rigor, not shortcuts

Why This Story Matters

As the coffee industry continues to face global challenges such as climate change, greenwashing, and pricing instability - it helps to remember where the values came from.

We share this story to honor the path we’ve walked with our partners, our customers, and our peers. We’re still learning. We’re still evolving. And we’re still committed to using coffee as a tool for possibility.

Shop the Coffees That Carry This Legacy

Or Try the Origin Masters