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Roots of Justice | Paul’s Blend –
Our Founders’ Roast
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
A Cup Born from Mendocino
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
Ariel view of the Noyo Harbor with original roastery and new roastery
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.
Paul’s Blend Organic Medium Roast coffee.
Flavor Profile: A Foundational Medium Roast
Paul’s Blend is designed to be approachable, balanced, and deeply satisfying—an everyday coffee shaped by decades of craft and care.
Tasting Notes:
- Blueberry and gentle fruit sweetness
- Smooth cocoa and milk chocolate tones
- Soft cashew nuttiness
- Clean, comforting finish
It’s a coffee that meets you in the morning and stays with you through the day - expressive without being loud, familiar yet layered, and grounded in the flavors Paul has always loved most.
Paul's Blend is one of the award-winning coffee roasts from our 2017 Roaster of the Year prize.
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and the Roots of Economic Justice
January is also a time to honor leaders who shaped the path toward justice, dignity, and shared responsibility. As we observe Martin Luther King Jr., we reflect on Dr. King’s enduring belief that civil rights and economic justice are inseparable - that a truly just society must honor the dignity of labor and ensure fairness within the systems that sustain everyday life.
Dr. King spoke often about the moral responsibility of both institutions and individuals, calling for an economy rooted in respect, equity, and human worth. He believed that progress is built not only through historic moments, but through consistent, values-driven actions - often quiet and unseen- that collectively shape the future.
Choosing where your coffee comes from is one of those choices. Every cup of Paul’s Blend supports long-standing relationships, ethical sourcing, and a belief that economic fairness begins with respect and reciprocity.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where civil rights and economic justice were brought together in a call for dignity, fair labor, and shared humanity.
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom stands as a powerful reminder that the movement for civil rights was also a movement for economic justice. It called for fair labor, living wages, and systems that recognize the full dignity of every person’s work.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that justice must be woven into daily life - from wages and work to how communities care for one another. As we reflect on this moment in January, we are reminded that meaningful change is carried forward through sustained commitment and everyday choices - values lived out not only in moments of history, but in the practices we choose to uphold.
Paul’s East Harlem Buying Club, 1962
These photographs document a food buying club organized by mothers in East Harlem in 1962, operating out of the basement of a public housing project. Faced with high food prices, limited access to fresh ingredients, and the daily pressures of poverty, these women came together to solve a shared problem: food security for their families.
By pooling resources and purchasing food collectively, they lowered household food costs and increased disposable income - profits were shared, and expenses reduced through cooperation rather than competition. The food they sourced reflected their own cultural traditions, allowing families to eat healthier, familiar meals while maintaining dignity and autonomy.
Mothers in East Harlem working together in 1962 to organize a cooperative food buying club, using collective purchasing to improve food access, reduce costs, and strengthen community resilience. Photos by Paul Katzeff
An unexpected outcome emerged alongside the economic impact. The act of solving a community problem together fostered pride, hope, and a renewed sense of agency. The enthusiasm visible in these images reflects more than a transaction - it reveals the mental and emotional benefits of collective action and women-led leadership.
This grassroots model would later inform the next generation of food cooperatives, including Ukiah Natural Foods, and ultimately influence the cooperative principles that shaped businesses like Whole Foods Market. Long before “alternative food systems” entered the mainstream, these women demonstrated that necessity, creativity, and cooperation could build resilience from the ground up.
The values that shaped this moment - cooperation, dignity, and shared prosperity - would later shape how Paul approached coffee. Paul’s Blend carries that lineage forward, offering a daily ritual grounded in justice, relationship, and care.
Simple Recipe:
Paul’s Mendocino Morning Latte
A grounding ritual for the start of the year.
Ingredients:
- Double espresso brewed with Paul’s Blend
- Steamed milk
- Light honey drizzle
Instructions:
- Pull a double espresso using Paul’s Blend.
- Steam milk until silky.
- Combine and finish with a gentle honey drizzle.
Enjoy slowly - best paired with a quiet January morning and a clear intention for the day ahead.
A Cup That Started a Movement
Paul’s Blend is more than our Founders’ Roast.
It’s a reminder of what’s possible when coffee is rooted in land, relationship, and justice.
As we begin a new year, we invite you to start your mornings with intention - grounded in gratitude, guided by values, and connected to a story that began over fifty years ago on the Mendocino Coast.
Where to Go Next
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With Gratitude Since 1972
To our farmers, our Mendocino community, and everyone who shares this daily ritual with us - thank you.
Your cup carries our roots forward.
Not Just a Cup, But a Just Cup™
Lavender Grace is the Sustainability Consultant for Thanksgiving Coffee Company
Stay in touch - we like to stay connected
Paul's Blend: Roots of Justice
January feature highlighting Paul’s Blend as Thanksgiving Coffee Company’s Founders’ Roast. This post explores the Mendocino Coast origins of the brand, Paul Katzeff’s legacy in ethical sourcing and specialty coffee innovation, and the theme of Roots of Justice tied to New Year reflection and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Includes product storytelling, brewing ritual, and direct link to purchase.
read more-
![A Trip to Africa: Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & The Dry Mill]()
A Trip to Africa: Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & The Dry Mill
In January 2014, CEO & Co-Founder Paul Katzeff traveled to Africa to meet with two of our producer cooperatives. In this blog series, Paul shares his experience in Uganda and Rwanda.
Our first day in Uganda was a real experience. The farmers met under a giant Mango tree that had just produced over 1,000 pounds of ripe mangoes and was beginning to flower for next year's fruit. These trees grow wild and can be found everywhere. In the shade of the tree people danced and celebrated. The heart of Rock and roll and the Blues came from these people - I could feel the rhythms vibrate my body and I was moved to dance ... but just couldn't get in there with them. I felt the beat but didn't feel I had the moves. The kid who was drumming was good! (see below)
Back on the road north to our primary Destination, The city of Mbale, the home of Mirembe Kawamera Cooperative. This is the famous interfaith cooperative of Jews, Christians and Muslims working together in a small outlying mountain village in the shadow of Mt. Elgon in the northeastern part of Uganda. This photo shows a typical roadside crossroad. Hard to say what is going on there but in the background is another Giant Mango tree and to the left down the road a couple of hundred feet are banana trees.
This homestead along the road had solar electric panels right in front of their house.
The two hour trip from Jinja to Mbale was filled with a life force so different, visually. These pictures show how western culture mixes with people who have too little but need the same things we need. Food, clothing, shelter and commerce. This little store sells what is needed, not what is wanted. The difference narrows
The selections down to what is available to sell. Carrying Coffee Sacks in Uganda This was our first destination in Mbale, The "dry mill" where our coffee is readied for export after being received from the primary cooperative in the mountains. This is where the coffee is graded (sorted) for defects and the parchment is milled off of the coffee and the burlap sacks are filled with 152 pounds of green coffee beans. Yes, those guys are carrying 150 lbs of coffee.
To be continued...
-PaulA Trip to Africa (series archive)
Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & the Dry Mill
Day 4 – Transparency, Trust & Relationships
Day 5 - Coffee Quality & A New Mystery
Day 6 – The Mystery Coffee’s Story
A Trip to Africa: Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & The Dry Mill
read more -
![A Trip to Africa: Day 1 - Arriving In Uganda]()
A Trip to Africa: Day 1 - Arriving In Uganda
In January 2014, CEO & Co-Founder Paul Katzeff traveled to Africa to meet with two of our producer cooperatives. In this blog series, Paul shares his experience in Uganda and Rwanda.
We arrived in Uganda (Entebbe Airport) at midnight. In two hours we were in Jinja to visit a coffee cooperative that is producing organic Robusta coffee. This might be the only organic Robusta in the world - so I was eager to meet the farmers. Our hosts and drivers were from Communities of Shalom, a US-based interfaith social justice organization based at Drew University that has been doing Economic Development work at the cooperative for the past nine months. They work to build community strength and empower coffee farmers to run their cooperatives effectively - so that they can benefit farmers and their families. We awoke the following morning to see Lake Victoria from our hotel window. Lake Victoria is the headwaters to the Nile. I felt the water, just as I did the Mississippi River 50 years ago when I first crossed it. It felt good!
Chairperson Fredrick Kibalama and CEO of Thanksgiving Coffee , Paul Katzeff
On the Coop chairman's farm we posed for a picture. Note the large Mango tree in the background and the Banana tree under it to the left. The weather was mild, about 80 degrees, and the sun was beginning to warm the top of my head. Fredrick's farm was about as self-sufficient food wise as one would enjoy here in the USA.
Here you can see the coffee trees being shaded by the Banana trees and the large trunk in the background of a very tall Mango tree shading all the undergrowth, keeping the ground cool and the moisture in this soil. I loved the Sign that reads "Organic Power Plant," a broad-based double-meaning set of words. One cow's manure will fertilize 1,000 coffee trees per year and the urine tea provides nitrogen. No waste here. Plus, milk and cheese for the family. Organic Power Plant indeed!
Robusta coffee is processed using what is called "The Dry Method." The cherries put out in the sun to dry. Fredrick had some recent pickings drying on a plastic mat when we arrived and about another 25 pounds of ripe cherries ready for sun drying with the cherry pulp still on the cherry. You can see how they turn black when they dry. In this photo I am smelling the de-hulled and finished coffee that was taken from the paper bag next to the sack of cherries. The beans were clean and sweet smelling and foretold, I hope, a bright future in the cup.
When I congratulated the farmers on a job well done, Moses (the Community's political leader) and the farmers were happy campers. This is because last year, the sample brought back to me was dirty and moldy, so I rejected it and sent instructions for them to follow for the next harvest season. This time, I was there to buy their coffee if it was clean and smelled sweet. Robusta is not a coffee variety that is noted for its flavor but it is useful in many other ways (body in Espresso blends for one). I agreed to purchase the coffee and I became the coop's first international buyer.
In this photo, my associate and Board member of Thanksgiving Coffee who is an expert on coffee supply chain infrastructure (how to get it from there to here), was explaining something we found by pure luck. It was, as I explained to the farmers, perfect timing that we arrived to see a potential disaster averted. Nick was showing them the problem. On the mat in front of him, the black drying cherries had a white mold softly covering the skins. The cherries were allowed to dry too slowly. They were probably not covered at night and the dew promoted the mold growth.
But, as luck would have it, there was a fresher lot to the right on the same mat and it was mold free. The lessons were there to be drilled home. All it took was a smell test and everyone knew what was needed, especially when I told them that the moldy smell was just a smell, but could they imagine drinking a coffee that tasted moldy ? The batch was separated and the potential for the coop coffees improved...if word gets out to all the farmers in the Coop.
To be continued
-PaulA Trip to Africa (series archive)
Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & the Dry Mill
Day 4 – Transparency, Trust & Relationships
Day 5 - Coffee Quality & A New Mystery
Day 6 – The Mystery Coffee’s Story
A Trip to Africa: Day 1 - Arriving In Uganda
read more -
![A Trip to Africa: Intro - I'm going to Africa]()
Intro: I'm Going to Africa
On January 12, I depart my comfortable home on the North Coast of California to visit coffee Farmers and Cooperatives in Rwanda and Uganda. I haven’t visited them on their home turf for almost a decade. Over the last several years Ben Corey Moran, our former Director of Coffee, deepened our relationships with Cooperative leaders and farmers in Africa. It is my intention that this visit will strengthen those ties.
I’ll be traveling with Nicholas Hoskyns of Etico, an import/export company that has imported our Nicaraguan coffees for the past two years. In 2004 he accompanied me to Rwanda on a USAID consulting job to help The Cooperative Coffee Sector plan its “cupping lab” construction project for cooperatives. He has a vast knowledge of Cooperatives and their organizational structures.The trip’s focus will be on collaboration: How can our relationship improve quality of life for both coffee farmers and coffee roasters? I believe that quality of life and quality of coffee go hand in hand. There has to be opportunity for a better life in all parts of the coffee trading chain, from the farm to the cup. It is the farmers’ love of their trees that makes good coffee great. Back here in Ft. Bragg , California, it is our pride in what we create for the coffee lover that makes great coffee remain great.
There are some sticky issues that need attention, which have made this trip necessary. Primarily, about crop financing, shipment dates, and creating a system of transparency that demystifies the transfer of money from Thanksgiving Coffee to the individual farmers.
I want to have a first person experience in discovery and learning. And I want to share this 10 day adventure with you. I use the word “adventure” with a certain amount of respect for its broad application. I am not “going on an adventure,” but I know it will be an adventure. What I wish for is the most uneventful yet spiritual adventure. No ceremonial high points and no high fives or WOW’S! I’m hoping for a low key visit with a slow easy gait, and a smile on my face when I return home.
To be continued…
-PaulA Trip to Africa (series archive)
Day 2 – Dancing, Mango Trees & the Dry Mill
Day 4 – Transparency, Trust & Relationships
Day 5 - Coffee Quality & A New Mystery
Day 6 – The Mystery Coffee’s Story
Day 8 - Making the New Transparency Work
A Trip to Africa: Intro - I'm going to Africa
read more
