This online conference invites current and aspiring coffee B Corps to engage in understanding the certification.
BY KATRINA YENTCH
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Daterra Coffee
As many businesses and organizations look to demonstrate better business practices to their customers, the B Corp certification has been a popular choice amongst coffee companies. Businesses like Daterra Coffee, Sustainable Harvest, and Nossa Familia Coffee have been longtime B Corp advocates, and encourage others to join the community through the upcoming online conference The (B)ean, which will explore the benefits and uncertainties around the certification.
“There are currently 105 certified B Corps that are related to coffee, but the dialogue between these companies is often distant,” explains Gabriel Agrelli Moreira of Daterra Coffee, the coffee estate that will be hosting the event. “The event aims to create an open conversation amongst these businesses, sparking new ideas or even shortening the distances between like-minded companies.” Daterra Coffee also happens to be the only coffee farm in the world that holds the certification.
This two-day conference is free to attend, and will feature four panels led by industry members from each part of the coffee supply chain. They will cover the many ways in which coffee businesses can enact positive change through their entities, as well as ways that B Corp can help them align with principles to do that. Supplementing this will be individual sessions that address what a B Corp is, along with opportunities to interact with and ask questions of other coffee B Corps. The panels include:
Some of the many scheduled speakers to present are representatives from B Corp companies like Equator Coffees & Teas, Counter Culture Coffee, Origin Coffee, Reunion Coffee Roasters, and Bocca Coffee. “We truly believe that it is hard to find industries that are so concerned about the environment and communities as in specialty coffee,” says Gabriel. “Being a B Corporation is about using business as a force for good. It is about having sustainability built into your business strategy.”
While Gabriel acknowledges that a B Corp label on coffee bags won’t necessarily translate into higher sales, he explains that it will demonstrate a “new sustainability.” The B Corp certification shows that concerned customers can trust these businesses for their dedication to positive change.
“Through the B Corp assessment, companies are challenged to understand how to continuously think (of) their businesses as tools that can promote positive changes and create impact,” says Gabriel. “Seeing sustainability as this big platform, with so many different working fronts, is not always easy, and for those who are not B Corps yet, the process can really help building up that culture.”
Whether you’re an aspiring B Corp, a company looking for a way to be sustainable, or a certified B Corp looking to connect with other like-minded coffee businesses, The (B)ean: Dialogues in Coffee will be a chance to better understand what B Corps are truly all about.
Free registration for the event is open now. For the full schedule, you can visit the official event website.
