MINNEAPOLIS, U.S. — Pioneering fair trade coffee company and Certified B-Corp Peace Coffee is expanding sales of its bagged organic coffee beans throughout the Midwest including Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, followed by Denver in September.
“Our growth is fueled by more than just appreciation of our carefully roasted organic beans — it reflects consumer demand for coffee produced organically, in harmony with the land, and traded fairly, with long-term farmer relationships that support sustainability for system and supply,” said Lee Wallace, Peace Coffee CEO and co-owner.
“Peace Coffee is a mission-based company with almost 25 years of experience in building an ethical framework for business decision-making, and we can prove our practices add value to the coffee growing communities we trade with. Coffee lovers discovered us because they were looking for a product where everyone wins — the bean farmer, the Earth, the roastery workers, and the coffee drinker — and we were one of the first to offer the whole package. We’re thrilled to bring our socially conscious coffee movement to more people.”
The Minneapolis-based company had been moving full steam ahead on growth before the global pandemic. In the early months of 2020, Peace Coffee completed an expansion of its Minneapolis headquarters to accommodate a new roasting machine. Amid a decline in sales to businesses hit hard by social distancing requirements like restaurants and coffee shops, it has maintained its daily production in response to a boom in sales to retail stores and through the Peace Coffee online storefront as more coffee is consumed at home.
Peace Coffee is available in grocery and natural food stores throughout Wisconsin and Illinois, now in 120 Kroger-owned stores like Metro Market, Pick ‘n Save and Mariano’s. The brand is also in Target stores in those same markets, and will expand to Target stores in Denver beginning in September.
Select locations across all markets will also carry new larger 20 oz. bags of whole beans, the company’s offering to meet the needs of pandemic-era shoppers looking to stock up, stretch time between grocery visits, and drink more coffee in home offices.
Twelve ounce bags of Peace Coffee’s Birchwood, Twin Cities, French Roast and Guatemala blends are available for a suggested price of $11.99; 20 ounce bags are available for a suggested price of $18.99.
Over 24 years in business, Peace has purchased more than ten million pounds of organic and fair-trade green coffee from small-scale farmer cooperatives in more than 12 countries. In 2019, 98 percent of its coffee came from cooperatives that Peace Coffee has had relationships with for more than five years. Peace Coffee also contributes three cents for every pound purchased into the Carbon, Climate and Coffee initiative supporting coffee farming communities.
