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Songbirds of the Forest: Brewing Habitat in Every Cup
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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.
Nicaraguan Farmer in a Shade Grown Coffee Forest
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
Long before sustainability became standard language in coffee, it began as a question of relationship.
How do we grow coffee in a way that supports land, people, and ecosystems together?
This question guided early collaboration across the industry - bringing together farmers, environmental advocates, and coffee professionals to think beyond the cup.
From extraction to relationship.
From product to system.
From short-term yield to long-term vitality.
That shift continues to shape coffee today.
Meet the Coffee: Songbird Nicaraguan
Tasting Notes
Cocoa richness
Gentle citrus brightness
Smooth, balanced finish
Origin
Nicaragua, sourced through long-standing cooperative partnerships
Roast
Medium roast, crafted for clarity and body
👉 Shop Songbird Nicaraguan Coffee
Part of our Songbird Coffee line, developed in partnership with the American Birding Association, this coffee reflects nearly 30 years of shared commitment to protecting bird habitat through shade-grown farming. It’s a relationship built slowly, like forests themselves.
Brewing Habitat: A Daily Ritual
There are large challenges in the world.
And there are daily practices that quietly shape what comes next.
When you choose bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee, you are supporting:
- forest ecosystems
- migratory bird pathways
- farmers working in balance with the land
It is not abstract.
It is immediate.
It is in your cup.
Watch how habitat, birds, and coffee are connected across continents.
Recipe: Citrus Bloom Cold Brew
A bright, floral expression of Songbird Nicaraguan.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely ground Songbird Nicaraguan coffee
- 4 cups cold filtered water
- zest of 1 orange
- 1–2 teaspoons wildflower honey
- ice
Directions
- Steep coffee and water for 12–16 hours in the refrigerator
- Strain slowly
- Add orange zest and honey
- Serve over ice
Citrus cold brew coffee with orange zest and honey
Seven Ways to Support Songbirds, Starting With Your Cup
The good news is this: while the challenges are real, there are meaningful ways to help.
1. Choose Bird-Friendly Coffee
More than 70 species of migratory songbirds depend on coffee farms for habitat. Shade-grown coffee helps preserve that habitat.
2. Plant Native Species
Even small spaces can provide food and shelter for birds.
3. Avoid Pesticides
Reducing chemical use supports birds and the ecosystems they rely on.
4. Make Windows Safer
Simple changes can reduce bird collisions.
5. Keep Cats Indoors
Protects both birds and pets.
6. Reduce Single-Use Plastics
Supports broader ecosystem health.
7. Pay Attention
Noticing birds is part of protecting them.
Start With the Cup
Brew coffee that protects habitat. Let that choice ripple outward.
Earth Month: A Moment to Choose Differently
April brings us back into awareness:
- Earth Month
- Earth Day (April 22)
- Arbor Day (April 24)
These are reminders, and also invitations.
The future of birds, forests, and farming systems is shaped by everyday choices.
From Forest to Cup
From the highlands of Nicaragua to your kitchen, there is a thread.
Birds in motion.
Farmers tending trees.
Water, soil, and time.
And you.
Not just a cup, but a living system that is held for a moment in your hands.
FAQ Section
What is bird-friendly coffee?
Coffee grown under forest canopy that supports bird habitat and biodiversity.
Why is shade-grown coffee important?
It protects ecosystems, supports wildlife, and improves coffee quality.
What is a sustainability committee in coffee?
Today, sustainability committees guide environmental and social practices. This work began with early environmental leadership efforts in specialty coffee, including the first Environmental Committee.
How can I support bird-friendly coffee?
Choose shade-grown coffee, reduce pesticides, plant native species, and support responsible sourcing.From Forest to Cup
Bring the Forest Home
Brew with intention.
Choose shade-grown coffee.
Share your ritual.
Lavender Grace Kent is the Director of Brand Narrative and Culture
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
Recommended Reading
Back to the Blog-
![Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega]()
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.
Our featured coffee is Flor de Jinotega, grown by the women and families of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua. This single origin is available in 5lb format for foodservice and serious home brewers, this coffee represents something steady and powerful: economic dignity rooted in community.
This is shade-grown Nicaraguan coffee cultivated under diverse canopy trees. Those trees do more than protect flavor. They provide winter habitat for migratory songbirds and preserve soil integrity for future generations.
We have long believed that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. When farmers thrive, flavor deepens.
Origin: Jinotega, Nicaragua
Producer: SOPPEXCCA Cooperative
Growing Method: Shade-grown
Roast: MediumFlavor Profile
Cocoa warmth
Soft citrus brightness
Balanced sweetness
A grounded, elegant finish
Women In Coffee Farming:
Recognizing The Unpaid Work
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.
Recipe: Cardamom Rose Coffee Cake
Made with Flor de Jinotega
This cake mirrors the coffee’s balance with floral lift, warm spice, grounded sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup brewed Flor de Jinotega (cooled)
½ cup yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp crushed cardamom
1 tbsp culinary rosewater
½ cup olive oil
Pinch sea saltMethod
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8–9 inch pan.Whisk eggs and sugar until slightly lightened. Add olive oil, yogurt, cooled coffee, and rosewater.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Fold into wet ingredients gently, just until combined.
Pour into pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Rest 10 minutes before removing.
Optional Finish
Drizzle with a light almond glaze or scatter sliced almonds before baking for a subtle crunch.Serve warm with a fresh cup of Flor de Jinotega. The cocoa and citrus notes carry the spice beautifully.
Spring Equinox & Renewal
March 20 marks the Spring Equinox — a moment of balance between light and dark.
There is something fitting about pairing that moment with a coffee grown under shade canopy, where light filters through branches in measured generosity.
Women in coffee farming embody that balance daily, production and protection, leadership and care, labor and love.
All Blends: Brewing Community Together
While Flor de Jinotega is our March spotlight, we also invite you to explore our full collection of coffee blends:
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.
Why It Matters
More than 125 million people globally depend on coffee farming for their livelihood. When we center women in that equation, we strengthen the entire system.
This is what we mean when we say we are brewing a movement of justice, sustainability, and hope
Women brew the future.
We simply help tell the story.👉 Brew With Us
• Shop Flor de Jinotega (5lb)
• Explore all Thanksgiving Coffee blends
• Share your brew on Instagram during Women’s History Month
• Tag us for a chance to be featuredBecause every just cup begins in someone’s hands.
Lavender Grace Kent - Director of Brand Narrative & Culture
Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega
read more -
![A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee]()
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?
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
This is the story of how those questions led to the creation of the first Environmental Committee within the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) - and how one small roaster on the Mendocino Coast helped spark that shift. Thanksgiving Coffee Company's co-founder Paul Katzeff was among those early voices. His journey began with a simple desire to source flavorful beans and quickly evolved into something much deeper.
Paul Katzeff in the early days with original coffee roaster
From Flavor to Justice: Nicaragua, 1985
In 1985, Paul traveled to Nicaragua at the request of a nurse who had returned from the war zone with a sample of coffee and a plea: support small-scale farmers by helping them sell their crop. At the time, Paul was President of the newly formed SCAA and still searching for “the perfect cup.”
But once he arrived in the mountains, what he witnessed changed him forever: families living without electricity or clean water, cooking in smoke-filled homes, doing their best to survive. “Coffee flavor was no longer my obsession,” Paul later said. “I came home and changed our motto from ‘In Search of the Perfect Cup’ to ‘Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup.’”
What began as a sourcing trip became a calling.
Women cooking in Nicaragua Photo by Paul Katzeff
Roasting Coffee, Nicaragua style, 1985
Elder Grinding Coffee - photo by Paul Katzeff
Paul Playing Ball, Nicagarua 1985
Rewriting the Rules of Trade
After President Reagan imposed an embargo on Nicaragua, Paul rerouted coffee shipments through Canada, where a Fair Trade roaster helped him finish the coffee and legally import it to the U.S. He then launched one of the first cause-driven blends: Café por la Paz (Coffee for Peace), donating 25 cents from every bag to support farming cooperatives in Nicaragua.
These weren’t marketing strategies. They were moral commitments, rooted in firsthand experience and a belief that business could be a tool for justice.
“We didn’t call it sustainability,” Paul recalls. “We just did the work.”
From Observation to Action
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Thanksgiving Coffee took concrete environmental action.
- We financed the planting of 75,000 shade trees in Ethiopia through Trees for the Future.
- We converted our delivery fleet to biodiesel, the first commercial fleet in California to do so.
- Our team paid attention to soil health, biodiversity, and forest preservation before there were certifications that would then require it.
The company soon began receiving awards and recognition for our work.
Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Delivery Van circa 1990's
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.
Read Original Green Buying Criteria here
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.
Paul with a Campasino and connecting with the children of Nicaragua
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
Paul’s Blend – Founders’ Legacy Roast
A bold, meaningful medium-dark roast named for our co-founder, honoring 50+ years of leadership in coffee and justice.Or Try the Origin Masters
These small-lot coffees are from pioneering cooperatives including: UCA Miraflor and CECOCAFEN
the co-architects of the world’s first farmer-owned cupping labs.Sold outSold outSold out
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
read more
![Learn](<a%20href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Contra_commandas_1987.jpg">Contra%20Commandas%201987</a>){kind=link}
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.
Our featured coffee is Flor de Jinotega, grown by the women and families of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua. This single origin is available in 5lb format for foodservice and serious home brewers, this coffee represents something steady and powerful: economic dignity rooted in community.
This is shade-grown Nicaraguan coffee cultivated under diverse canopy trees. Those trees do more than protect flavor. They provide winter habitat for migratory songbirds and preserve soil integrity for future generations.
We have long believed that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. When farmers thrive, flavor deepens.
Origin: Jinotega, Nicaragua
Producer: SOPPEXCCA Cooperative
Growing Method: Shade-grown
Roast: Medium
Flavor Profile
Cocoa warmth
Soft citrus brightness
Balanced sweetness
A grounded, elegant finish
Women In Coffee Farming:
Recognizing The Unpaid Work
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.
Recipe: Cardamom Rose Coffee Cake
Made with Flor de Jinotega
This cake mirrors the coffee’s balance with floral lift, warm spice, grounded sweetness.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup brewed Flor de Jinotega (cooled)
½ cup yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp crushed cardamom
1 tbsp culinary rosewater
½ cup olive oil
Pinch sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8–9 inch pan.
Whisk eggs and sugar until slightly lightened. Add olive oil, yogurt, cooled coffee, and rosewater.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Fold into wet ingredients gently, just until combined.
Pour into pan and bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Rest 10 minutes before removing.
Optional Finish
Drizzle with a light almond glaze or scatter sliced almonds before baking for a subtle crunch.
Serve warm with a fresh cup of Flor de Jinotega. The cocoa and citrus notes carry the spice beautifully.
Spring Equinox & Renewal
March 20 marks the Spring Equinox — a moment of balance between light and dark.
There is something fitting about pairing that moment with a coffee grown under shade canopy, where light filters through branches in measured generosity.
Women in coffee farming embody that balance daily, production and protection, leadership and care, labor and love.
All Blends: Brewing Community Together
While Flor de Jinotega is our March spotlight, we also invite you to explore our full collection of coffee blends:
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.
Why It Matters
More than 125 million people globally depend on coffee farming for their livelihood. When we center women in that equation, we strengthen the entire system.
This is what we mean when we say we are brewing a movement of justice, sustainability, and hope
Women brew the future.
We simply help tell the story.
👉 Brew With Us
• Shop Flor de Jinotega (5lb)
• Explore all Thanksgiving Coffee blends
• Share your brew on Instagram during Women’s History Month
• Tag us for a chance to be featured
Because every just cup begins in someone’s hands.
Lavender Grace Kent - Director of Brand Narrative & Culture
Women Brew the Future | Flor de Jinotega
read more
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?
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
This is the story of how those questions led to the creation of the first Environmental Committee within the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) - and how one small roaster on the Mendocino Coast helped spark that shift. Thanksgiving Coffee Company's co-founder Paul Katzeff was among those early voices. His journey began with a simple desire to source flavorful beans and quickly evolved into something much deeper.
Paul Katzeff in the early days with original coffee roaster
From Flavor to Justice: Nicaragua, 1985
In 1985, Paul traveled to Nicaragua at the request of a nurse who had returned from the war zone with a sample of coffee and a plea: support small-scale farmers by helping them sell their crop. At the time, Paul was President of the newly formed SCAA and still searching for “the perfect cup.”
But once he arrived in the mountains, what he witnessed changed him forever: families living without electricity or clean water, cooking in smoke-filled homes, doing their best to survive. “Coffee flavor was no longer my obsession,” Paul later said. “I came home and changed our motto from ‘In Search of the Perfect Cup’ to ‘Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup.’”
What began as a sourcing trip became a calling.
Women cooking in Nicaragua Photo by Paul Katzeff
Roasting Coffee, Nicaragua style, 1985
Elder Grinding Coffee - photo by Paul Katzeff
Paul Playing Ball, Nicagarua 1985
Rewriting the Rules of Trade
After President Reagan imposed an embargo on Nicaragua, Paul rerouted coffee shipments through Canada, where a Fair Trade roaster helped him finish the coffee and legally import it to the U.S. He then launched one of the first cause-driven blends: Café por la Paz (Coffee for Peace), donating 25 cents from every bag to support farming cooperatives in Nicaragua.
These weren’t marketing strategies. They were moral commitments, rooted in firsthand experience and a belief that business could be a tool for justice.
“We didn’t call it sustainability,” Paul recalls. “We just did the work.”
From Observation to Action
Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Thanksgiving Coffee took concrete environmental action.
- We financed the planting of 75,000 shade trees in Ethiopia through Trees for the Future.
- We converted our delivery fleet to biodiesel, the first commercial fleet in California to do so.
- Our team paid attention to soil health, biodiversity, and forest preservation before there were certifications that would then require it.
The company soon began receiving awards and recognition for our work.
Thanksgiving Coffee Company and Delivery Van circa 1990's
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.
Read Original Green Buying Criteria here
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.
Paul with a Campasino and connecting with the children of Nicaragua
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
Paul’s Blend – Founders’ Legacy Roast
A bold, meaningful medium-dark roast named for our co-founder, honoring 50+ years of leadership in coffee and justice.
Or Try the Origin Masters
These small-lot coffees are from pioneering cooperatives including: UCA Miraflor and CECOCAFEN
the co-architects of the world’s first farmer-owned cupping labs.
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
A Just Cup: The Story Behind the First Environmental Committee in Specialty Coffee
read more
Taste the Bright Future of Coffee
- Tasting Notes: Vibrant citrus, delicate florals, and a smooth honey finish
- Mouthfeel: Silky and refreshing, with a bright, clean finish
- Perfect for: Pour over, drip, or French press—ideal for your morning clarity ritual
Rwanda Single Origin Coffee with citrus, floral, and honey tasting notes from Dukunde Kawa.
Why Dukunde Kawa Coffee Matters
Dukunde Kawa means “Let’s love coffee”—a name that reflects their commitment to people, planet, and flavor. This Rwandan cooperative is internationally recognized for combining exceptional quality with climate action.
- 2,500+ clean cook stoves installed, reducing wood use by 70%
- Tree nurseries restoring biodiversity and combating soil erosion
- Women’s leadership with 80% women participation at the Ruli washing station
Every bag of Rwanda Single Origin supports these impactful programs, making every cup an act of regeneration and reciprocity.
Sources: Dukunde Kawa Sustainability Programs and Thanksgiving Coffee Dukunde Kawa Story
Rwanda Coffee Farm
Brew a Better Morning, Support a Better Future
- Support healthier homes with clean cook stove initiatives
- Restore forests and farms through reforestation efforts
- Empower women farmers, nurturing local leadership
Recipe: Cold Brew for Summer Brightness
- Coarse grind 1 cup of beans
- Steep in 4 cups of filtered water for 12-14 hours
- Serve over ice with a twist of fresh orange peel
Explore More Flavor Stories
Lavender Grace is the Sustainable Ecology Advocate for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected