January is a month of return.
After the rush of the holidays, we slow down, reflect, and set intentions for the year ahead. At Thanksgiving Coffee Company, January brings us back to the beginning - to the land, the relationships, and the values that shaped who we are.

Paul’s Blend is where that story starts.

Born on the Mendocino Coast in 1972, this Founders’ Roast honors Paul Katzeff’s lifelong belief that coffee could be more than a commodity - that it could be a tool for justice, dignity, and connection between people and place.

This is the coffee that carries our roots.

Paul Katzeff at the original roastery on Noyo Harbor, CA

Thanksgiving Coffee Company was founded in a working harbor town shaped by fishermen, artists, and back-to-the-land dreamers. Mendocino’s rugged coastline and radical imagination influenced everything - from how we roasted coffee to how we built relationships with farmers around the world.

Paul’s Blend reflects that origin story. It is a classic medium roast crafted with consistency and care, developed through decades of roasting experience and long-standing partnerships with smallholder farmers.

This is not a trend coffee.
It’s a foundational one.

Original roastery on the Noyo Harbor, California

Roots of Justice in Every Cup

Paul Katzeff came to coffee as a social worker and community organizer. That background shaped the values that still guide Thanksgiving Coffee today:

• Long-term, direct relationships with farming partners
• Paying prices that honor labor and sustain families
• Investing in farmer-led quality control and education
• Believing that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand

Paul helped pioneer farmer-owned cupping labs, co-founded the Specialty Coffee Association, and advocated for organic and shade-grown coffee before it was mainstream.

Paul’s Blend is a tribute to that legacy - steady, thoughtful, and built for the long view.

Flavor Profile: A Foundational Medium Roast

Featured Coffee: Rwanda Dukunde Kawa

Ingredients

• 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

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round cake pan or loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the coconut milk, melted butter or oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. If using, sprinkle shredded coconut evenly over the top.
6. Bake for 30–35 minutes in a round pan (or up to 40 minutes in a loaf pan), until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. 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.

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

Our 2024 Impact Report

Our Ongoing Commitments

We remain committed to being ethically sourced and artisan roasted, maintaining over 88% of our coffees certified Organic, and guiding all purchases by our Purchasing for a Healthier Planet criteria. (This criteria was established in 1995 and is still going strong.)

While we're retiring many of our Cause Coffees this year, a few important ones will remain and their impact continues. From restoring pollinator habitat to protecting migratory bird forests, your daily cup still fuels change where it’s needed most.

Biodiversity loss is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, and we’re proud to stand with the growers, ecologists, and educators who are working to reverse it—one forest, one garden, one farm at a time.

Taste the Bright Future of Coffee

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.

Brew a Better Morning, Support a Better Future

Explore More Flavor Stories

• All Single Origin Coffees
• About Thanksgiving Coffee’s Ethical Sourcing
• Songbird Habitat Coffee

B Corp Coffee Partnerships: Conscious Collaboration

Every first Saturday in July, thousands of people gather at Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor for the World's Largest Salmon BBQ—a celebration that’s both festive and fiercely focused on restoration. It's a paradox we embrace: honoring nature by gathering in its name.

This spirit of collective care mirrors how Thanksgiving Coffee approaches sustainable business relationships—especially through our growing network of fellow B Corps.

Grove Collaboratives First B Corp Coffee

This wasn't just another retail partnership—it represented Grove's recognition of our commitment to ethical coffee sourcing and regenerative business practices.

Grove features our coffee with the tagline: "This bag carries more than artisan coffee—it's a vessel of hope, connection, and giving thanks to the Earth." This partnership demonstrates how aligned values create natural B Corp collaborations that extend far beyond traditional business transactions.

Brewing Local Impact with North Coast Brewing Company

Raising the Bar with Bonterra Organic Estates

Building Systems Evolution

For over 50 years, Thanksgiving Coffee has operated on the principle that coffee is a medium for connection and positive change. Our B Corp partnerships have shown us how this philosophy extends beyond our coffee supply chain to encompass the entire ecosystem of conscious commerce.

When North Coast Brewing brings their craft beer to the Salmon BBQ, when Bonterra contributes their organic wines, when Grove Collaborative features our coffee as a vessel of hope—we create something none of us could achieve alone.

We're not just selling products; we're building a network of businesses that demonstrate another way forward.

The Ripple Effects of Regenerative Partnerships

The numbers tell part of our story, but the deeper narrative is about amplified impact. Every cup of Thanksgiving Coffee that reaches Grove's customers, every moment of connection at the Salmon BBQ, every dollar raised for stream restoration—these represent the ripple effects of partnerships that prioritize shared prosperity over individual gain.

Looking Ahead: A Business Practice of Care

These partnerships didn't emerge from market analysis—they grew from shared values and mutual recognition of what's possible when businesses align their success with the world's wellbeing. Grove chose us because our story resonates with their mission. North Coast Brewing and Bonterra partner with us because we share commitment to place and values.

Together, we create impact greater than the sum of our parts. We've learned that the company we keep shapes not just our success, but our contribution to a more sustainable world. In choosing B Corp partners who share our commitment to restoration and regeneration, we've proven that business can be a practice of care—for the earth, communities, and the future we're creating together.

The Cupping Lab Revolution: How Thanksgiving Coffee Changed Coffee Forever

It began with a journey to Nicaragua in the 1980s. Paul Katzeff, a former social worker and co-founder of Thanksgiving Coffee, traveled to listen to the farmers. Paul had the tools and vision to create a new way forward for the coffee world.

In those war-torn hills, Paul came face to face with the quiet strength of farmers who had survived conflict, drought, and poverty. What he discovered would transform his understanding of coffee forever.

What Paul saw was that coffee could be more than just a product. It could become a tool for restoring dignity, building solidarity, and giving voice to those who had been left out of their own story.

Coffee as a Bridge Between Worlds

Paul's 1985 trip to Nicaragua occurred during the U.S.-backed Contra War—a time of immense hardship and tension. What he witnessed moved him deeply: farmers cultivating resilience amid unimaginable challenges. Meeting with PRODECOOP, one of the earliest farmer cooperatives, he understood that meaningful change would require more than charity. It would take genuine partnership.

This experience birthed a vision for direct trade built on empathy and transparency. Paul saw coffee as more than a commodity—he saw it as a bridge connecting people across borders, across struggles, and across systems built to exclude the voices of those who grow the coffee we love.

A Revolution Born from Relationship

Years later, in 2001, Paul's vision took physical form when Thanksgiving Coffee helped create the world's first farmer-owned cupping labs. It started with a simple question:

What if those who grow the coffee were also the ones to taste it first?

That question sparked a revolution—and in partnership with our co-ops like UCA MIRAFLOR and CECOCAFEN, it redefined not just how coffee is evaluated, but who gets to define its value.

This work began with trust.

When Thanksgiving Coffee first partnered with these cooperatives, they were communities rising from hardship with their own vision. Families were replanting forests, rebuilding homes, and forming cooperatives that prioritized not only trade, but democracy, biodiversity, and food sovereignty.

As field researcher Christopher Bacon wrote:

"This is a story of reconstruction and resistance... of families working together to regenerate their communities, reclaim the land, and build new institutions of democratic governance."

In these post-war communities, farmers didn't just return to the land—they reimagined its future. By placing cupping labs in their hands, Thanksgiving Coffee wasn't introducing a new tool—they were honoring a movement already in motion.

"The $300,000 enabled 9 coops to build their labs and be trained as cuppers by me using SCAA scoring forms. It is one thing to have a lab but another thing to know how to use it. Training was essential. "
- Paul Katzeff

In 1999, when most coffee buyers still made quality decisions without farmer input, Thanksgiving Coffee proposed something radical: building professional cupping labs directly within producer cooperatives in Nicaragua. With a $300,000 USAID contract and decades of field experience, these labs were constructed in 2000, becoming the world's first farmer-owned and operated cupping facilities.

The innovation couldn't have been better timed. As Third Wave coffee culture was gaining momentum in the early 2000s with its focus on single-origin beans and transparent sourcing, these cupping labs equipped farmers to meet this new demand with unprecedented precision.

Suddenly, farmers could:

• Taste and analyze their own coffee before it left the farm
• Create detailed flavor profiles previously only done by importers
• Develop specific micro-lots for specialty markets
• Experiment with processing methods that enhanced quality
• Engage in price negotiations based on verifiable quality data

By 2001, the Cuppers Manifesto was born—a bilingual manual distributed to 10,000 Nicaraguan farmers and later shared with 8,000 producers in Colombia by the Colombian Coffee Federation.

From Third Wave to Fourth: Farmers as Flavor Artists

What began as a Third Wave innovation has evolved into something even more profound—what many now call the "Fourth Wave" of coffee, where farmers themselves have become recognized artists of flavor creation.

Today's most celebrated coffees often feature not just the region or farm name, but specific processing techniques developed and perfected by individual farmers—techniques like honey processing, extended fermentation, and anaerobic processing that create distinctive flavor profiles impossible to achieve through roasting alone.

This transition—from farmers as anonymous producers to farmers as named innovators—can be traced directly back to those first cupping labs. When farmers gained the ability to taste, evaluate, and experiment with their own coffee, they unleashed a wave of innovation that continues to transform the industry.

As Paul shared in a later interview:

"Coffee is about people. If you take care of the people, the coffee takes care of itself."

These labs didn't just reflect a shift in coffee culture—they helped create it. From these humble beginnings in rural Nicaragua grew the foundations of today's artisan coffee movement, where quality and value begin at the source and rise through shared craftsmanship.

A Legacy You Can Taste

Join the Revolution in Your Cup

The Cupping Lab Revolution was more than the technology of tasting coffee. It was—and still is—about relationship, repair, and reclaiming the right to define what coffee can be.

Every cup of Thanksgiving Coffee connects you to this ongoing story of transformation—from Third Wave transparency to Fourth Wave farmer artisanship. It's an invitation to participate in a more equitable, relationship-based trade model that honors both the product and its producers.

It is about following a path with heart to let it guide you to be in good relationship with life and the world.

The Way

"The way to great coffee flavor is not direct.

The path must be traveled

with great care and attention.

The way becomes a path, the path a road,

and then, magically, the road becomes a highway

that leads to people who cultivate the land on which the coffee derives its special flavor.

How does one find the path? Through caring.

One does not search so much for the road that leads to the tree, as for the road that leads to the heart.

This is the secret." 

Paul Katzeff

Co-founder, Thanksgiving Coffee Company

Learn more:
The Story of the Nicaraguan Coffee Cooperatives

The Impact of Origin Cupping Labs

Watch the Paul Katzeff Interview

The Regenerative Connection: How Bees and Coffee Create Sustainable Ecosystems

For over half a century, Thanksgiving Coffee Company has been more than just a coffee roaster. We are storytellers, dreamers, and guardians of the delicate web of life that connects us all, witnessing the intricate dance between human intention and nature's resilience.

Imagine a single bee, wings humming against the morning light, moving from flower to flower. This tiny creature carries more than pollen—it carries the future of our food systems, our ecosystems, our very survival.

Our Bee Bold Coffee is born from a simple yet profound understanding: every living thing is interconnected, and our choices in regenerative coffee cultivation matter deeply to our planet's health.

Bee on coffee flowers

The Dance of Survival

The story of our planet's pollinators is a complex narrative of challenge and hope. We know that Bee populations are declining, native species are disappearing, and our food systems exist in a precarious balance. These are not statistics—they are a call to action, an invitation to reimagine our relationship with our natural world.

At Thanksgiving Coffee Company, we've learned that meaningful change requires more than good intentions. It demands commitment, innovation, and a willingness to work alongside nature's own wisdom. The Bee Bold Alliance embodies our most thoughtful commitment to this challenge—a holistic approach that weaves together traditional ecological knowledge, innovative research, community-driven insight, and technologies that listen to the earth.

Local Pomo and Native Tribes gathered in traditional regalia dancing for the forest and the health of Mother Earth.

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

Our mission goes far beyond a simple cup of coffee. We know that talking isn't enough. So we're doing the work—connecting with farmers, supporting indigenous communities, and building real solutions from the ground up. The Bee Bold Alliance is our commitment to practical, meaningful change. We are actively:

• Supporting regenerative agriculture
• Amplifying traditional ecological knowledge
• Investing in youth environmental education
• Creating tangible pathways for ecosystem restoration

We are learning by doing and we are growing our understanding as we collaborate for community wellbeing. So many of us have forgotten what it means to be in community, working together. This network is exactly about that - the evolution of growing healthy together.

Your Morning Ritual, Planetary Impact

Becoming a Pollinator Protector isn't complicated. We offer some simple choices: choosing Bee Bold Coffee, planting flowers that welcome bees, learning about local ecosystems, and sharing a story of hope. Each of us has the power to create change, to nurture the intricate connections that sustain life on our planet.

Small Actions, Big Changes

Want to become a Pollinator Protector? Here's how:

• Choose Bee Bold Coffee
• Plant bee-friendly flowers in your garden
• Learn about local ecosystems
• Share the story - Let us know how your garden changes once the bees know they are welcomed.

More Resources

Read More About the Bee Bold Alliance Here

Learn more from Traditional Ecological Knowledge Webinar

Read Article on Bees and Being

In the verdant highlands of Jinotega, Nicaragua, a revolutionary approach to gender equity is transforming the coffee industry. Led by the visionary Fátima Ismael, SOPPEXCCA cooperative operates on a powerful belief: "Women's independence can only be achieved through economic autonomy and awareness."

"This groundbreaking initiative doesn't just produce exceptional coffee – it creates a model for sustainable economic justice." – Thanksgiving Coffee Company

What makes this partnership unique is SOPPEXCCA's pioneering recognition of women's traditionally invisible contributions to coffee production. This approach addresses a global challenge documented extensively by international organizations including the United Nations.

Fátima Ismael, SOPPEXCCA'S General Manager

Since 2013, Thanksgiving Coffee Company has committed an additional $0.10 per pound of green coffee purchased from SOPPEXCCA – specifically allocated to recognize women's unpaid work. This initiative has now generated over $40,000 supporting women's economic empowerment.

According to UN Women research:

• Unpaid care work is essential to functioning economies but often goes uncounted and unrecognized
• Women—particularly from low-income, migrant, and racialized groups—perform more than three-quarters of unpaid care and domestic work globally
• If women's unpaid work were assigned monetary value, it would exceed up to 40% of GDP in some countries

Measurable Impact in Nicaragua

The SOPPEXCCA initiative has created transformative changes for women:

• Improved relationships among women in rural communities
• Increased active participation in economic decision-making processes
• Development of creative potential within family economies
• Financial independence through personal savings accounts
• Growing cooperative membership among women

"8 March ... Day of commemoration and new commitments for a world of equality, equity and respect .. Greetings female producers, friends and companions who have been with this organization on their way that has not been easy but together we have overcome a thousand adversities and will continue to be fighting ..." Soppexcca

Woman Farmers of Soppexcca Cooperative - Jinotego, Nicaragua

Shade Grown Coffee: Critical Habitat for Migratory Songbirds

SOPPEXCCA's commitment extends beyond economic justice. Their shade-grown cultivation methods create essential winter habitats for migratory songbirds, demonstrating how sustainable agriculture directly contributes to biodiversity conservation.

"When you choose SOPPEXCCA coffee, you're supporting both women's empowerment and environmental stewardship – values at the heart of Thanksgiving Coffee Company."

Woman Farmers from the Soppexxcca Cooperative - Jinotega, Nicaragua

UN Women's research reveals that investing in care infrastructure creates three times more jobs than equivalent investment in construction, with 70-90% of these jobs benefiting women.

The SOPPEXCCA fund represents precisely this kind of strategic investment.

Read about our support for the women of Soppexcca:

"Recognizing the Value of Womens Unpaid Work".

Celebrate the Women Coffee Farmers of Soppexcca

Pioneering Regenerative Agriculture

High in Nicaragua's pristine Arenal Forest Reserve, at 1,500 meters above sea level, Finca los Pinos stands as a testament to agricultural transformation. Here, Byron Corrales and his family have spent over four decades pioneering a different way of farming coffee. Since embracing organic practices in 1986, they've developed an innovative approach that works in perfect harmony with nature. Through their dedication to biodynamic farming, they've not only twice earned top honors for their extraordinary coffee, but they've also created a model for sustainable agriculture that's changing how we think about coffee cultivation.

A Legacy of Excellence

Our relationship with the Corrales family spans three generations, witnessing their evolution from traditional farming to becoming leaders in biodynamic agriculture. Byron's innovative spirit led him to develop the exceptional Maracaturra variety, a unique hybrid that produces remarkably large beans – distinctively bigger than typical Arabica coffee beans. This size isn't just for show; it allows for exceptional taste elements that smaller beans simply cannot achieve, delivering a remarkable sweetness and richness in every cup.

the Art Of Processing

Soil: The Foundation of Life

“I feel really happy that those who drink my coffee are drinking a cup of life”

Byron Corrales

Understanding the challenges of climate change, Byron has implemented robust adaptation strategies:

• Diverse tree species for enhanced shade coverage
• Strengthened soil biology
• Natural mineral enrichment
• Water conservation systems

"I want to transmit our family's art, our work of many years, discovering the flavors we've learned to bring forth from our mountains, expressed in this cup by way of respect for our environment," Byron shares. This respect for environment and commitment to regenerative practices creates coffee that is, in Byron's words, "the expression of life and the life energy of all the living beings who live in our community."

The Corrales Family from one of our origin trips.

Your morning coffee can be more than just a boost—it can drive positive change. With our Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification and our Bee Bold Alliance initiative, we're turning your daily coffee ritual into a force for good. Here's how we're making waves in the world of sustainable agriculture while serving up exceptional coffee.

Butterfly on coffee leaf, Soppexxcca Coop, Nicaragua

Our coffee farming goes beyond conventional methods. We nurture complete ecosystems where coffee plants thrive alongside native flora and fauna. A single coffee tree can support over 100 insect species, enhancing biodiversity on our farms.

coffee beans ripening in the understory of the forest canopy

Our commitment to biodiversity is reflected in two key initiatives:

AT ORIGIN

 Smithsonian Bird Friendly ® Certification: This certification is literally the environmental gold standard in the sustainable coffee industry. As holders of the Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification since 2015, we adhere to the most comprehensive, science-based standards in the coffee industry. This certification requires:

• Multiple layers of native tree canopy providing crucial wildlife habitat
• USDA Organic certification as a foundation, ensuring chemical-free farming
• Regular third-party inspections verifying our environmental impact
• Documented support of migratory birds and local biodiversity

Did you know? A single coffee tree on a certified farm can support over 100 distinct insect species!

AT HOME

 The Bee Bold Alliance: This is our initiative to restore biodiversity and support local food security through pollinator protection. The vision is to create a regenerative ecology network in our community for comprehensive pollinator protection. Here are the key principles guiding our path forward:

• Protecting the Soil: We're working toward eliminating harmful pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides from our farming practices. This transition aims to create healthier environments for pollinators while maintaining productive coffee cultivation.
• Watershed Stewardship: Our growing commitment includes developing better water conservation practices, reducing fertilizer usage, and implementing responsible waste management systems.
• Fostering Pollinator Forage: We're exploring ways to integrate more flowering plants throughout our local farms, aiming to provide year-round nutrition that supports healthy pollinator populations.
• Honoring Indigenous Wisdom: We're beginning to build relationships with Native/First Nation peoples in our growing regions, seeking to learn from their traditional knowledge and collaborate on sustainable solutions for the future.

We're reaching out to neighboring farms and communities, inviting them to join us in protecting pollinators. This initiative is beginning to form, and we believe that together, we can create meaningful change.

We believe in the power of collective action. Here are ways you can participate in this journey:

1. Choose coffee that aligns with your environmental values

2. Cultivate native wildflowers in your garden or community spaces

3. Consider natural pest management practices

4. Create undisturbed areas in your garden to provide natural habitats

5. Learn about pollinator-friendly plants suitable for your local ecosystem

We're at an exciting point in our environmental journey, where your choice of coffee can help shape future agricultural practices. Our Bird Friendly® certified coffee demonstrates our established commitment to environmental stewardship, while our developing Bee Bold Coffee initiative shows where we're heading. By choosing these products, you're not just selecting quality coffee—you're supporting the evolution of sustainable and pollinator-friendly agriculture.

Join us on this journey toward biodiversity conservation through sustainable agriculture. Your support through choosing our Bird Friendly® certified coffee and Bee Bold Coffee helps create positive environmental change, one cup at a time.

Listen to the Farmers of Namanyonyi

Thanksgiving Coffee recently participated in a study called “The Farmers Thriving Index” conducted by 60 decibels who tracks social impact measurements on the ground directly from the farmers themselves. The primary goal was to confirm the findings we had discovered and to validate our shift in focus to “Health and Happiness” as the best way to support our coffee farmers at the Namanyonyi cooperative in Uganda.

85% of the Farmers Report Improved Health

The findings of this report have exceeded our initial report on our Clean Water Project by showing that 85% of the Farmers interviewed report improved household health because of the water filters, and 78% report a reduction in healthcare costs.

Members of the Namanyonyi Community of Shalom Interfaith Cooperative during a clean water training in Uganda

A total Shift in the Way We Support Farmers

This is a huge moment for us as it confirms what our Co-founder Paul Katzeff has be developing over the past several years. The concept is that when the health of the family is increased, the wealth of the household simultaneously increases as well. This study proved that 78% of the Namanyonyi coffee farmers income has been freed from health care costs. That is a huge change, and a big influx of money that can be invested into the wellbeing of the family, rather than going to doctors and medicines.

This is a total shift from the way our company looked at supporting farmers in the past. We thought that if we paid more for the beans it would translate into a better lifestyle for the farmers. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and after 30 years we can now prove this new concept. 

Results from Farmers Thriving Index , pg 14

Potential for Entire Industry Shift

Learn More

The Namanyonyi co-op study was also included in a larger index with a focus on farmers nationwide in Uganda, as well as Rwanda. To learn more about the national findings you can read it here in the Daily Coffee News.

2024 Coffee Farmer Thriving Index

It is our hope that the coffee industry will learn to shift towards the common good of all farmers with health and happiness for all.

Enjoy the Delicious Peace coffees grown by the Namanyonyi Co-op

The 53rd annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ happened again this year on July 6th, and once again - Thanksgiving Coffee Company was there.

Carlos Hernandez & Sienna Reno enjoying Thanksgiving Coffee

The 53rd annual World's Largest Salmon BBQ

This annual event raises funds for restoring salmon habitat with the goal of returning the salmon population to a sustainable balance. Currently, the salmon fishing season is closed in California for the second year in a row to allow the salmon population to rebuild. It has been deeply affected over the last several years due to drought, spawning ground habitat damage, and other factors. For the second year in a row the half-ton of salmon that was donated for the BBQ originated from Alaska. Dozens of local and regional sponsors come together to make this event happen!

In addition to serving hot specialty coffee as usual, we raised our game by serving multiple gallons of 4 varieties - Ethiopian Natural light roast, Paul's Blend medium roast, Noyo Harbor French very dark roast, and Royal Decaf. Additionally, nearly 3000 attendees were introduced to our new Nitro cold coffee with its creamy mouthfeel and cooling chill!

Jennifer Brown at the Thanksgiving Coffee Company Booth

It was a very hot day, by Fort Bragg standards (about 75°) so many of the attendees requested to enjoy their coffee over ice, and we were happy to oblige. Jennifer and I made everyone feel welcome and well caffeinated. Two other local B Corporations were represented as well; North Coast Brewing Company and Bonterra organic wines.

The very happy Bonterra Organic Estates wines booth, another B Corp in Mendocino County.

The North Coast Brewing Company  booth

One of the acts "West of Nowhere" featuring from left to right; Dan Mello, Phil Dunn, Sean Van Buskirk

It's our annual privilege to build a pop-up coffee shop in the middle of a field on the shores of Noyo Harbor, but this year I took it to an even higher level - I emceed the event, thanking the dozens of sponsors and introducing the 10 acts that performed that day.

Joe Seta as Emcee of the Salmon BBQ this year. Photo by Eric Fngal

Thanksgiving Coffee Company has been in the coffee business for a long time, and the playing field has really shifted, in fact undeniably the world has changed alot since 2020. In light of this accelerated movement and shifting tides, Thanksgiving Coffee realized the importance of checking in with you, our customers, and all who we work with. On the recommendation of our esteemed B Corp consultant Heather Paulsen, we decided to engage in a Materiality Assessment and have her lead us through the process. Now we have done it, gathered the information, and we are excited to share the results with you!

To determine Thanksgiving Coffee Company’s list of material issues, Heather guided us through the following methodology. First we did background research and analysis of other businesses and nonprofits, including completed materiality assessments, impact reports, and their websites. We held a series of core team meetings to develop our preliminary list of material issues. We came to identify these three categories: Resources, People, and Governance. Then our core team reviewed the list, made revisions, created definitions of each issue, and made boundary mapping. Here are the issues in each category.

In this phase, a series of interviews and surveys were conducted with our employees and customers, including distributors, retailers, cafes/food service accounts, vendors, trade associations and nonprofit partners.

Then, the results were compiled from 21 employees, and 241 direct consumers through our outreach efforts from calls, emails, and social media. With all of this information we were able to map out the material issues into the matrix you see below.

2023 Materiality Assessment Results

In the image above you will see the main material issues that rose to the top were in the category of People (in blue) with human rights being the very highest on the matrix, followed by sourcing practices, product quality, and organic & regenerative agriculture.

The results on the left axis of the matrix are the external stakeholders with results from our distributors, retailers, cafes/food service accounts, vendors, trade associations and nonprofit partners. On the bottom axis are the internal Thanksgiving Coffee Employees results. The matrix is a combined view of both external and internal results and has three shades of purple to delineate the differences of: moderate, high, and very high ratings. Note that none of the identified issues fell below the number 6 as a concern, that is why the grid goes from 6-10.

“Our work changes communities, from survival to prospering.

It’s a chain of care, love and support.” GoCoffeeGo, TCC Coffee Distributor

To understand where our third party certifications ranked, we put together another matrix following the same principles. Here you will see that the most regarded and highly ranked certification is USA Organic, followed by Fairtrade America ,  Smithsonian Bird Friendly and then B Corp Certification.

What You Said

"I found you because of your focus on the ethical stewardship of our planet. The coffee is great. Thank you for leading by example!" Anonymous survey comment

When you drink your coffee, you might want to know what goes into your cup, and if it is Thanksgiving Coffee, you might want to know why we became a certified B Corp. So let me tell you a little story about our coffee company and why we went through this rigorous process of certification.

When Thanksgiving Coffee Company began (now over 50 years ago) it was based on the co-owner Paul Katzeff's history as a social worker. The function of the coffee became a vehicle for social, environmental and economic justice in the world. In the 80's, during Paul's first momentus visit to the coffee farms of the war-torn country of Nicaragua, he created our motto "Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup". This has been the intention behind every aspect of Thanksgiving Coffee's work. (If you ever get a chance, ask Paul to tell you the story of this first visit, it is quite something!) In the meantime you can read more on the revolution at Liberation News.  

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages the world over. It is an economic mainstay for dozens of countries and produced by 25 million small share holders. As a pioneer Thanksgiving Coffee Company has gone to these coffee-growing origins around the world to meet with the farmers, to support their organic farming cooperatives, to pay a living wage for the beans, and provide meaningful employment along the entire supply chain to help innovate and create sustainable ecology for over 5 decades.

When a business becomes a Certified B Corporation it means that they have undergone an extensive process to meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose... This was a perfect community for Thanksgiving Coffee to join, with thousands of conscious companies in 89 countries who do real work to make our world a better place for all.

B Corp is A Network to Build Collaboration and Work Toward a More Inclusive Economy

Nicaruguan farmers who spoke out for justice were a huge turning point in our company's history. The women led farmer cooperative of Soppexcca is part of this Nicaraguan legacy and the work we do as a B Corp. When you go to drink your next cup of coffee, take a moment and ask yourself, what is in your cup, really? Is it a "Just Cup"? How does it sustain the Earth? How does it treat our life sustaining waters? Does it support the humanity of all the hard-working farmers? Can you taste the difference? Will you be the difference?

Image: Natividad Lopez Garcia, Reina Isabel Quintero, and Flor Rodriguez, founding members of SOPPEXCCA’s women’s cooperative in Nicaragua.

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

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

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

Let's get into more about this health cup. Here is the main breakdown:

choose organic beans

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. 

Light Roast - Fine Grid

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. 

Filtered

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.

Good Water

 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

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.

Here is a wonderfully researched article read “How to Brew The Healthiest Cup of Coffee" by Danielle Braff.

Live Longer

          Support your Heart

                              Strengthen your DNA

Cultivating Health

At Thanksgiving, coffee supports us 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.

A Few of our Many Healthy Choices

Clean water is scarce in Uganda’s coffee-growing regions and 20 million Ugandans are without safe clean water.  

This is our video about how we learned to better restore dignity and justice to our coffee growers, and their communities.

Read about the project here: Evolution of Change

By working together, we can support the health and well-being of each farmer and their families with a simple investment in a clean water filter.

When you buy Delicious Peace Coffee, you support health and happiness for future generations.

This is a call to action for all coffee companies to lift up the dignity of farmers and support health and happiness for future generations.  

The Mendocino Film Festival (MFF) began in 2006, and Thanksgiving Coffee Company has been a steady supporter since the beginning. This 2022 season an innovative program called "Native Cinema: Vision the Future" was lanched. This was created and produced by the Bee Bold Alliance (a project from Thanksgiving Coffee) to help tell the story of Mendocino’s regenerative renaissance.

The overwhelming positive response of the Native Cinema program demonstrated an earnest interest in the Native experience. It was screened to a sold out audience at Crown Hall in Mendocino, CA. and featured many wonderful Native Filmmakers and several remarkable local Native Leaders.

The tone of the evening was set by local coastal Pomo activist and cultural revitalizer Bernadette Smith. With her moving ancestral songs for the land, Smith gave respect and honor to her heritage and for those in the audience, the cultural experince of the original peoples of Mendocino, CA. Priscilla Hunter from the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo joined Smith in this acknowledgment with her prayers and helped amplify the intention for the evening of Native Films to come. (image: Bernadette Smith on left, Priscilla Hunter on right)

Strengthen our connection through Indigenous Storytelling

Part I

Part II

Nathaniel Golding hopes audiences will take away how a positive outlet will lead to positive things.

Part II of the Native Cinema program featured AWAKEN, a short film about the issues young people face on the Fort Yuma Reservation in Southern California. The first-time filmmaker Nathaniel Golding (an enrolled member of the Quechan tribe) tells the story of cousins Orlando and Kieran whose love for metal music has not deterred them from learning their traditional songs and dances. Nathaniel was the youngest film crew member. He is learning the Quechan language and songs and was inspired to make this film by his father, producer Daniel Golding.

(Image: Awaken filmmaker Nathaniel Golding) 

The second film Forest Grandmothers explores the activism of Priscilla Hunter (Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians) and Polly Girvin (Indigenous Rights Lawyer). For the past 40 years, they have tirelessly worked to preserve the forests and educate others about the cultural significance of biodiversity for Native People and the wellbeing of the planet.

(Image: Forest Grandmothers filmmaker Henry Thomas, center)

This unique film project was directed by first-time filmmaker Henry Thomas who led the Bee RYL Production Crew, a multicultural and multi-generational mentorship for youth to sustain local art and culture through film. Henry Thomas is a young aspiring filmmaker combining digital video with analog photography.

The Bee RYL Crew for 2021-22: Ronan Williams, Keiran Miller, Kyla Marchello, Josephine Steinbeck, and camera support from Amy Heckeroth.

*Bee RYL Productions is a pilot project of the Bee Bold Alliance led by Lavender Grace Cinnamon and sponsored by Thanksgiving Coffee Company in partnership with Hope4Natives, Mendocino Film Festival, and MHS Media Lab.

The fourth and final film of the evening was Pomo Land Back: A Prayer from the Forest by filmmakers Evan-Marie Petit & Louis Fox. Hailing from the red earth of her ancestors, visual storyteller Petite is from the Eastern Cherokee.

This film aims to honor the vital movement towards indigenous-led stewardship and rematriation of California forest lands. Created in collaboration with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Pomo Land Back is a visceral poetic document of an alliance-building, inter-tribal gathering that took place in February 2022. The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians calls for protection and co-management of the 48,652-acre Jackson Demonstration State Forest.

(Image:Pomo Land Back filmmaker Evan-Marie Petite)

The evening closed with two honored local Tribal Leaders Chairmen Michael Hunter and Tribal Chairwoman Priscilla Hunter. Together they addressed the audience with a unique depth and humor all their own. They shared their vision to preserve the local forests and create a clean safe environment for future generations to come. Dynamic in vision and in action, the inspiring Chairman and Chairwoman Hunter actively work for the well-being of the planet and fortunate Mendocino is their home.

Thanksgiving Coffee Company is a proud sponsor of the Native Cinema event. It felt like a step in the right direction to strengthen our communities resilience. The evening created an opportunity to learn and gather some tools to use during these turbulent times. With positive outlets, we can be community-minded and learn how to grow through our shared experiences. Ultimately we are all in this together, let's tell a good story.

(Image: Tribal Chairman Michael Hunter left, Tribal Chairwoman Priscilla Hunter right)

This event was a collaboration with The Bee Bold Alliance, in partnership with Hope4natives and The Mendocino Film Festival and made possible by the sponsorship of Thanksgiving Coffee Company.

Resources:

Sinkyone Intertribal Wilderness Council 

Hope4Natives

Visit California Tribes

Pomo Land Back

Bee Bold Alliance   

*Bee RYL Productions Pilot Project appreciates the generous donations from Sweetwater Inn and Spa, Fortunate Farms, Cafe Beaujolais, Corners of the Mouth, Princess Seafood, and Simone’s Kitchen

Our Bee Bold Coffee supports biodiversity and Earth renewal with your daily cup of coffee. The Bee Bold Campaign offers a steady funding source for Conservation Works, training youth to support native bees and pollinators with the restoration and preservation of habitats to sustain a resilient ecosystem.