Just Coffee Cooperative

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Overview

Just Coffee Cooperative is a worker-owned coffee roasting cooperative focused on fair trade, organic coffee sourced from grower cooperatives in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. It emphasizes transparency in pricing, equitable distribution of proceeds along the supply chain, and environmental sustainability, including efforts to reduce carbon footprint by sourcing closer to home. Certified as a B Corporation since 2017, it operates as a wholesaler and retailer in the specialty coffee market.

History

Founded in 2001 in Madison, Wisconsin, as a project to support Zapatista coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, by purchasing and roasting their organic beans. Reorganized from an LLC into a worker cooperative in 2006. Achieved B Corp certification in 2017, becoming the only certified B Corp coffee roaster in Wisconsin at the time.

Product Lines

Product Line	Positioning	Price Range
Zapatista Coffee (organic fair trade from Mexico)	Direct solidarity sourcing	$12 - $18/lb
Nicaraguan Single Origin (organic shade-grown)	Small farmer cooperatives	$13 - $19/lb
Guatemalan Roast (fair trade organic)	Agroecological family farms	$12 - $17/lb
African Blends (from DRC and others)	Long-term grower partnerships	$14 - $20/lb
Indonesian Varietals (organic fair trade)	Low-impact sustainable sourcing	$15 - $22/lb

Manufacturing

Coffee roasting is performed in-house at their facility in Madison, Wisconsin. Green beans are imported from over 15 grower cooperatives worldwide, primarily through Cooperative Coffees. Operations prioritize organic certification and transparency in supply chain pricing.

Notable Products

Zapatista Rising - Organic coffee from Chiapas, Mexico Zapatista cooperatives, foundational product since 2001.
Honduras La Unión - Fair trade organic from smallholder coops, emphasizing equitable pricing.
Congo Kasai - Organic coffee from Democratic Republic of Congo farmer groups.
Madison Medium Roast Blend - House blend using multi-origin fair trade beans for everyday use.
Guatemala Huehuetenango - Single-origin organic from highland family farms.

Reputation

Recognized among fair trade and sustainability advocates for supply chain transparency and direct farmer relationships, with B Corp certification validating practices in worker treatment, environment, and community impact. Professionals note its model exceeds standard fair trade by publishing prices and prioritizing equity. Some critiques exist on scalability due to cooperative structure limiting growth compared to larger roasters.

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