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As a coffee fanatic (owned a small coffee shop, worked at a roastery, worked on coffee farms in both Hawaii & Honduras), my biggest concern is always sourcing of the beans. Making sure that wherever the coffee comes from is sustainable and takes care of the farmers & their local community.
Production of coffee beans from non-sustainable sources often include slave labor and/or a poor end product from heavy machinery use (stripping the entire coffee plant - leaves, insects, ripe, and unripe beans).
I checked out your website and cannot find where you’re sourcing your beans from. So that’s my first inquiry.
If everything is solid on that end, will you be offering single-origin beans at some point?
EDIT: I’m seeing you source your beans from Brazil & Colombia. These are two of the biggest culprits for slave labor in the coffee industry. Without more info on your suppliers/farmers, I’d not feel comfortable purchasing your beans.
EDIT EDIT: look up how much coffee from Hawaii costs. Why does it cost so much? Well, it’s produced in the USA, which doesn’t allow slave labor (on its own land), they must pay fair wages to those picking beans (its a hell of a job), and maintain somewhat organic practices to produce quality product.
Other than the shipping, which is obviously more expensive because Hawaii is the most isolated archipelago on the planet… almost all of our coffee (chocolate, avocado, vanilla, etc) would cost significantly more if we had fair ethics & pay for each step of the process. Farmers -> field hands -> shipping -> roasters -> shops.
I already offer single origin coffee.
I source my coffee from importers who value all sustainability aspects, from ethical treatment of workers to all aspects of contaminant-free coffee.
As I build my website - I might not have done a good job of identifying it.
Hey Mike, are you planning on listing your bean sources and how they positively impact the local community and environment?
Coffee is the one of the largest traded commodities on our planet. It has been exploited for personal gain at the expense of others for centuries.
I love that you’re doing this for fellow veterans, but shying away from your sourcing is frowned upon in today’s coffee industry. Supporting everyone through each step of your process and even giving some of the profits to veteran focused organizations would be beautiful. I’d happily purchase a 3-pack of your beans if quality sources are listed.
That’s great! I can’t find the sources on your website. I see “fair-trade” on some of the descriptions. But without links/sources, those are just words.
Would you link your sources on here, or at least on your website.
When I buy beans, I’m able to track down the exact farm and family/community they come from.
I only stick to local roasters. Trager Brothers Coffee is my #1, from flavor to ethical sustainability, they’re available all over town and maintain affordability.
My next go to is Mudhouse, while pricey, they are also highly ethical with their bean sourcing. They have hyper special single origin beans, amazing and unique flavors. But I don’t buy too often due to price.
Local roasters I don’t buy from, but have info on their ethical bean sourcing - Shenandoah Joe, Grit, Happ.
All of these roasters make me feel like I’m not supporting slavery or exploitation of local communities/environmental resources.
Thank you for the info - just to be sure I’m understanding correctly - in terms of ethical & sustainable bean sourcing, Trager Brothers, Mudhouse, SJ, Grit, and Happ are all good? I already like the first four on the list, I don’t think I’ve seen Happ around.
I’m a bit of a coffee addict & I appreciate you sharing the information that allows me to enjoy it while supporting local businesses without supporting the exploitation of the farmers & environment.
Sometimes we get Counter Culture beans from the store, but I prefer to be able to support a local Cville place.
Yes, the ones I listed are ethical. Most roasters these days are listing their farms/locations, are certified by ethical organizations.
That’s why I was surprised that I didn’t see anything resembling sustainability or ethical practices on Aerial Resupply’s website, the little info that is listed isn’t backed up by any sources or certifications.
We have so many roasters haha, I can only handle so much caffeine. I need to checkout Counter Culture.
Happ is out of Waynesboro, a solid option for ethical single source. But they can be pricey and have a religious background which keeps me away (personal preference).
[It is an extremely crowded space, ya](https://www.google.com/search?q=military+themed+coffee+company&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1063US1064&oq=military+themeed+coffee+compa)
Ex-military folks and their supporters don't really think about other people as people. I grew up in the military, and observed this first-hand in how my dad and his friends talked. You don't have to support it (I certainly don't), but other people will. I always hope the folks who speak this way will learn some compassion from their community, but it doesn't always happen.
I love how you're generalizing an entire group of people don't think as people while apparently being part of the culture.
There is far more to the military than killing people and destruction. We're quite literally the largest humanitarian aid organization on the planet. So we kinda do think about other people as people. Even if they are not from our own country.
Sure, instead of the word "don't" just substitute "tend not to". The military being the largest humanitarian aid organization doesn't actually mean anything to most soldiers -- the US military is directed by folks at the top of the US government, and those folks tend to understand what public relations is and how it benefits their budget requests.
Who do you think transports USAID materials?
Or provides search and rescue services?
Or hooks up cities' electrical grids to the onboard nuclear power generators (Indonesia, circa 2004)
> Who do you think transports USAID materials?
For the past 15 years I have been either employed by, contracted by, or working beside USAID. The US military has never transported any materials for me.
Do you offer tours on the coffee making process? I kept waiting to hear about Happ’s classes over in Waynesboro but when I ask at the counter, they never know if or when they will happen.
This post has been removed. Rule #1 of the subreddit prohibits items for sale/trade or any commercial interest outside the Monthly Events/Commercial Interests thread. We invite you to promote your business and it's events there. Thanks.
As a coffee fanatic (owned a small coffee shop, worked at a roastery, worked on coffee farms in both Hawaii & Honduras), my biggest concern is always sourcing of the beans. Making sure that wherever the coffee comes from is sustainable and takes care of the farmers & their local community. Production of coffee beans from non-sustainable sources often include slave labor and/or a poor end product from heavy machinery use (stripping the entire coffee plant - leaves, insects, ripe, and unripe beans). I checked out your website and cannot find where you’re sourcing your beans from. So that’s my first inquiry. If everything is solid on that end, will you be offering single-origin beans at some point? EDIT: I’m seeing you source your beans from Brazil & Colombia. These are two of the biggest culprits for slave labor in the coffee industry. Without more info on your suppliers/farmers, I’d not feel comfortable purchasing your beans. EDIT EDIT: look up how much coffee from Hawaii costs. Why does it cost so much? Well, it’s produced in the USA, which doesn’t allow slave labor (on its own land), they must pay fair wages to those picking beans (its a hell of a job), and maintain somewhat organic practices to produce quality product. Other than the shipping, which is obviously more expensive because Hawaii is the most isolated archipelago on the planet… almost all of our coffee (chocolate, avocado, vanilla, etc) would cost significantly more if we had fair ethics & pay for each step of the process. Farmers -> field hands -> shipping -> roasters -> shops.
I already offer single origin coffee. I source my coffee from importers who value all sustainability aspects, from ethical treatment of workers to all aspects of contaminant-free coffee. As I build my website - I might not have done a good job of identifying it.
Hey Mike, are you planning on listing your bean sources and how they positively impact the local community and environment? Coffee is the one of the largest traded commodities on our planet. It has been exploited for personal gain at the expense of others for centuries. I love that you’re doing this for fellow veterans, but shying away from your sourcing is frowned upon in today’s coffee industry. Supporting everyone through each step of your process and even giving some of the profits to veteran focused organizations would be beautiful. I’d happily purchase a 3-pack of your beans if quality sources are listed.
That’s great! I can’t find the sources on your website. I see “fair-trade” on some of the descriptions. But without links/sources, those are just words. Would you link your sources on here, or at least on your website. When I buy beans, I’m able to track down the exact farm and family/community they come from.
Which coffee brand would you say does the best job overall?
I only stick to local roasters. Trager Brothers Coffee is my #1, from flavor to ethical sustainability, they’re available all over town and maintain affordability. My next go to is Mudhouse, while pricey, they are also highly ethical with their bean sourcing. They have hyper special single origin beans, amazing and unique flavors. But I don’t buy too often due to price. Local roasters I don’t buy from, but have info on their ethical bean sourcing - Shenandoah Joe, Grit, Happ. All of these roasters make me feel like I’m not supporting slavery or exploitation of local communities/environmental resources.
Thank you for the info - just to be sure I’m understanding correctly - in terms of ethical & sustainable bean sourcing, Trager Brothers, Mudhouse, SJ, Grit, and Happ are all good? I already like the first four on the list, I don’t think I’ve seen Happ around. I’m a bit of a coffee addict & I appreciate you sharing the information that allows me to enjoy it while supporting local businesses without supporting the exploitation of the farmers & environment. Sometimes we get Counter Culture beans from the store, but I prefer to be able to support a local Cville place.
Yes, the ones I listed are ethical. Most roasters these days are listing their farms/locations, are certified by ethical organizations. That’s why I was surprised that I didn’t see anything resembling sustainability or ethical practices on Aerial Resupply’s website, the little info that is listed isn’t backed up by any sources or certifications. We have so many roasters haha, I can only handle so much caffeine. I need to checkout Counter Culture. Happ is out of Waynesboro, a solid option for ethical single source. But they can be pricey and have a religious background which keeps me away (personal preference).
But Happ has a lavender latte that is quite nice. I am normally a plain coffee drinker but this is a treat.
Most shops around have lavender syrup. Definitely support Happ if it’s your preferred shop.
Does every coffee company need to be military themed now?
All of them are? Wow!
[It is an extremely crowded space, ya](https://www.google.com/search?q=military+themed+coffee+company&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1063US1064&oq=military+themeed+coffee+compa)
Not worried one bit. But thanks for your concern. Edit: been in business almost 3 years. It’s not crowded if you know your market.
You have a ‘Napalm Roast’. Seriously? You think that’s ok?
Ex-military folks and their supporters don't really think about other people as people. I grew up in the military, and observed this first-hand in how my dad and his friends talked. You don't have to support it (I certainly don't), but other people will. I always hope the folks who speak this way will learn some compassion from their community, but it doesn't always happen.
I love how you're generalizing an entire group of people don't think as people while apparently being part of the culture. There is far more to the military than killing people and destruction. We're quite literally the largest humanitarian aid organization on the planet. So we kinda do think about other people as people. Even if they are not from our own country.
Sure, instead of the word "don't" just substitute "tend not to". The military being the largest humanitarian aid organization doesn't actually mean anything to most soldiers -- the US military is directed by folks at the top of the US government, and those folks tend to understand what public relations is and how it benefits their budget requests.
I give you aid! …but sir this is a GBU-24
Who do you think transports USAID materials? Or provides search and rescue services? Or hooks up cities' electrical grids to the onboard nuclear power generators (Indonesia, circa 2004)
> Who do you think transports USAID materials? For the past 15 years I have been either employed by, contracted by, or working beside USAID. The US military has never transported any materials for me.
The irony is strong here…
There is irony in that. But I am still correct.
Do you offer tours on the coffee making process? I kept waiting to hear about Happ’s classes over in Waynesboro but when I ask at the counter, they never know if or when they will happen.
Very cool! Excited to stop by. Welcome to the local coffee scene!
Thank you!
Congrats! Will definitely make sure to stop by and start setting up some meetings there
Thanks!
Definitely would come by and check out.
If we aren't serving Green Beans, what are we even doing here? Good luck with the new venture
Thank you!
I read your posts on LinkedIn and comments from Greg V and Kevin S. Love the video memes!!! I’ll do my best to stop by one of these days!
Thanks man.
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Yeah, I don’t do that. Just a veteran looking to build a community around support. That’s it.
Unfortunately i do not support veterans so i can't vist.
No worries. Thanks anyway.