MINNEAPOLIS Caribou Coffee has said it will commit to serving only Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees by the end of next year.
To celebrate the move toward 100-percent sustainable coffee, Caribou will begin selling two certified blends, Lacuna and Lakeshore Blend, at all 535 of its U.S. locations on April 15. The sustainable-coffee blends also will be sold on Caribou’s website.
The Sustainable Agriculture Network, a coalition of independent, nonprofit conservation groups, oversees the Rainforest Alliance certification process. The designation comprises environmental, social and economic sustainability and is meant to encourage standards for farmers and growers of all sizes.
“Caribou Coffee recognizes that a good cup of coffee goes beyond taste,” said Chad Trewick, the company’s senior director of coffee and tea. “It starts with farming practices that are environmentally and socially responsible. One-hundred-percent certification is a very aggressive goal, but one that we’re proud to set. We’re helping ensure that our customers get premium coffee, and our sourcing partners benefit environmentally, socially and economically.”
Caribou also pledged to help its current suppliers achieve Rainforest Alliance certification before partnering with other growers, Trewick said.
“Our close relationships with our partners at origin lead to mutually beneficial purchasing practices and the highest-quality coffee available, so we are encouraging the farms that we currently buy from to achieve certification,” he said. “This means that not only are we committed to furthering sustainable-coffee production, we’re also committed to preserving the longstanding sourcing relationships that uphold the same flavor profiles of all of our traditional blends.”
In addition to the new Lacuna and Lakeshore Blend varieties, Caribou has five coffee blends that are 100-percent Rainforest Alliance-certified. The company said almost all of its blends are at least 30-percent Rainforest Alliance-certified and that more than 85 percent of its overall coffee purchases this year would be certified, for a total of about 17 million pounds.
Also, in honor of Earth Day, Caribou will give away a free reusable coffee clutch to every guest who buys two pounds of Lacuna or Lakeshore Blend beginning April 15, while supplies last.
Minneapolis-based Caribou unveiled in early March a rebranded look, sporting the new tagline “Life is short. Stay awake for it.”
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].