Peace Coffee was founded in 1996 with one simple mission; to make memorable coffee that honors the farmer, cares for the planet, empowers its staff, and serves its customers to help change the way we view this beloved drink. We invest in our farmer cooperatives by forming long-term trading relationships and foster collaboration by importing coffees with a cooperative of our own. Our roasting operation seeks to minimize environmental impact by delivering coffee via bicycle, occupying a green building, composting waste, and using intermodal transit (e.g., rail and truck) for our green coffee deliveries. We seek to stand as a bridge for farmers by connecting our customers to the real challenges farmers face through climate change education and advocacy. Coffee is made for conversation, whether with others or within ourselves. We aim to engage in productive dialogue with our partners, staff, and consumers that manifest creative problem solving, nimble processes, and enthusiastic activism for change.

part of a movement

Though we have stayed true to our commitment to roasting 100% organic and fair trade coffee, we have long wanted to be part of a movement to push ourselves to assess and do better as a whole. B Corp certification propels us forward with a statement about the entirety of our business practices that consumers can trust. It speaks to the root of our company, founded on the idea that our products should bear the highest social and ethical standards, and shows that the branches of our business are working in harmony with these ambitions.

what’s a B Corporation?

B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. There are over 2,000 B Corporations in  50+ Countries and in over 130 Industries – all with 1 Unifying Goal – to redefine success in business. In order to achieve certification, Peace Coffee was assessed using stringent practical standards that measure our impact on all of our employees, our community, and the environment.

Compared to our Public Benefit Corporation status from the state of MN, this certification is not self-reported but achieved by receiving a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment. Recertification is required every 2 years against an evolving standard.

Certification begins with an assessment including over 230 questions that look at these impact areas:

• governance (mission lock, ownership structure, financial transparency)
• workers (employee benefits, training program, and employee tenure)
• community (managing gender pay equity, charitable giving practices, supplier practices)
• environment (recycling/composting, building locations, organic product)

Next comes an interview with B Corp staff and we must submit documentation to prove our responses were truthful. The final score from the assessment has to be at least 80 points out of a possible 200.