Part I. The Art

Thanksgiving Coffee has seen many changes over the past 50 years. The invention of the internet has been a big change that opened an entirely new territory where images are key to communicating with our customers, like you.

Since the first image was posted to the internet, approximately 54,400 images are now uploaded per second, or 4.7 billion per day. Thirty years later 91% of the world’s population has instantaneous access to approximately 750 billion images through their cell phones.

The “Upside-down Man” came just before the digital expansion. In the early ’90s, the North Bay artist Chris Blum was asked to make a new poster for our business. Long before the internet, Chris Blum developed his unique artistic style by devouring images from hundreds of magazines and newspapers. Chris believes “pop culture to be one of the best decoders of the cultural values of the times”.

As art director for the project Chris Blum brought in one of America’s most recognized illustrators and graphic artist Michael Schwab. Schwab’s art focuses on the interplay of positive and negative space to create strong and simple, yet always contemporary images. The resulting collaboration between Blum and Schwab is our iconic Upside - down Man, a timeless image with a message of who our company is.

Part II – The Meaning

The truth is our company is about service. We serve our customers the best coffee possible on every level of taste, and integrity. We serve coffee full of social, economic, and environmental justice for our global community. We serve coffee to support the health and happiness of our coffee farmers in their home countries. We serve coffee for the well-being of future generations through our conduct in the world and our local community. As long as Thanksgiving Coffee is in business, service will be integrated into the DNA of who we are. 

Thanksgiving Coffee Company turns 50 this year and we would like to celebrate our co-Founders, Joan and Paul Katzeff. They set the example for us to use our business as a force for good, with coffee as our medium. They instilled social and environmental justice as our passion and the health and well-being of our farmers as our goal.

Joan and Paul have led the specialty coffee industry toward equality and justice. For five decades they have spearheaded ethical sourcing directly from small-scale farmer cooperatives, building the first independent farmer-owned cupping labs and inspiring the first Fair Trade model.

Working shoulder to shoulder with the farmers, Thanksgiving Coffee has developed one of the most valuable supply chains in coffee today. At the core, our company is built on the interconnectedness of coffee farmers, the coffee they produce, and the health and well-being of our shared environment.

“A coffee farmer will love their trees when they provide food, shelter, education, and health care for their family. When a farmer loves their trees, they will care for them in a way that produces fine quality and flavor. Great coffee derives from the welfare of the farmer and their family. It is true for all farmers who work the land, including our local farmers.”

– Paul Katzeff, Co-Founder

Now Thanksgiving Coffee is being led by Joan and Paul's son, Jonah Katzeff, who has literally been part of this company his entire life. With a solid foundation to build upon, we now look to the next 50 years with a sense of excitement and purpose. Our motto, and it is true as ever... Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup.

Thank you, Joan and Paul!