Meet 44 North Coffee: "coffee with a conscience"

When Melissa and Megan founded 44 North Coffee in 2010, their goal was to build a business that aligned with their ethics, values, and spirit. It was named after their community on a remote and rural island in Maine – Deer Isle – with a latitude of 44 degrees North. They looked for a Certified Fair Trade and Organic coffee importer that cared as much as they did, but what they found with Certified B Corp Cooperative Coffees was much more.

44 North Coffee has purchased all of their green (unroasted) coffee from Cooperative Coffees ever since. In 2018, they joined 22 other roasters as a fully-vested member of the co-op. 

What sets Cooperative Coffee apart from other green importers is the structure of the organization. As a cooperative, the roaster-members build long-term relationships with each other and their producer-partners through fair and equitable trading practices. The Cooperative works on a personal level with growers and their communities to build sustainable systems and processes to grow and export high-quality, organic, and fair-trade coffee.

All of this resonated with Melissa and Megan as small business owners in a remote and rural area where a strong sense of community is essential. Today, they are active members of every community they are part of – from their island to their network of roasteries and of course, the farmers who feed us all. 

They are especially proud to serve on Cooperative Coffees’ Impact Committee, overseeing an Impact Fund that gives back 3 cents per every pound of green coffee sold. Since 2015, over $900,000 has been invested into farmer-led projects in the communities that supply their coffee. The farmers they work with direct the focus of every investment – consistently citing climate change, soil health, and increasing yields as the greatest challenges they face. These independent smallholder farms are leading the charge for regenerative soils and organic practices that help build pest and climate resilience, diversify crops, bolster food sovereignty, promote reforestation, maximize productivity, improve quality, and actually increase their income. By nourishing healthier soils that sequester more carbon from the atmosphere, they are mitigating the effects of climate change for us all.

In November, Melissa and Megan helped fund four new projects for their farms, designed to enrich the soil and make the most of the hard work that goes into every cup. We are proud to feature their coffee in our Subscription “Coffee Break” Boxes, designed to help remote and hybrid teams connect through the power of food. Join us and enjoy their coffee at your line of latitude.