Grounds for Change: Sustainable Fair Trade Organic Coffee & Giveaway

Grounds for Change is a family owned and operated coffee roasting business located in the Pacific Northwest . They roast their 100% Fair Trade, Organic coffee in small batches to ensure that you receive the freshest coffee possible.

All of their coffee is Fair Trade Certified by TransFair USA and the Organic Certification meets the stringent Organic Processor Standards enforced by the United States Federal Government and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The vast majority of the coffee they sell is also Shade Grown Coffee which ensures healthy habitat for migratory birds.

A number of community-based programs in coffee-growing countries directly benefit from the purchase of Grounds for Change coffee. For example, farmers in Peru and Mexico receive a higher price per pound for their coffee (above and beyond the going rate for certified coffee) to help support local domestic violence intervention programs and small business loans for women.

Grounds for Change is a sustainable business. Below are examples of what they are doing to achieve their goals:

• Use 100% renewable energy and off-set all of our CO2 emissions, including those from operations, packaging, inbound freight and outbound shipping to customers.
• Compost all organic waste including coffee grounds, coffee filters and food scraps.
• Purchase and print on paper made from 100% recycled content and recycle all office paper, toner cartridges, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic.
• Recycle all empty burlap coffee bags by donating them to local organic farmers for weed suppression and erosion control.
• Recycle all coffee chaff, the organic by-product of the roasting process, by giving it to local, organic farmers to be used as a nitrogen-rich soil amendment.
• Recycle all inbound freight pallets by donating them to a local business that rebuilds them for reuse.
• Donate well over 1% of their gross annual sales to social and environmental organizations as part of our membership with 1% For The Planet.
• Work closely with organizations promoting positive change including the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign, Save Our Wild Salmon, Global Partnerships, Cafe Femenino Foundation and many other local and national non-profits.

Grounds for Change is a member of:

• TransFair USA: 100% Fair Trade
• Green America
• 1% For The Planet
• Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign

Their Mission

"To support social equity and environmental sustainability through fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee."

They fulfill their mission through the following:

1. All Grounds for Change coffee is 100% fair trade and organic certified. They believe in the importance of supporting these certifications, financially and professionally.
   
2. Grounds for Change is a member of 1% for the Planet and through this organization, donates a percentage of sales to the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign, Save Our Wild Salmon and CarbonFund.org in support of the valuable work of these organizations.
   
3. Through their memberships, they support and adhere to the guidelines of the following organizations: TransFair USA, Co-Op America, and the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign. Grounds for Change is also recognized by the Songbird Foundation and endorsed by Catholic Relief Services.
   
4. Grounds for Change educates consumers on what fair trade and organic certifications mean and why they are important. They provide opportunities for our visitors to make their voices heard through participation in national and international campaigns.
   
5. Through their Affiliate Program, Grounds for Change supports nonprofit organizations whose goals closely resemble their own, allowing them to give back to those organizations who are working to make positive change.
   
6. Grounds for Change is a member of Coffee Kids, an international, nonprofit, organization that has helped thousands of men, women, and children in Mexico and Central America to improve the quality of their lives.
   
7. Grounds for Change is a sustainable business. They purchase 100% renewable energy through Puget Sound Energy's Green Power Program. The Green Power Program buys renewable energy (wind, solar and biomass) for inclusion in the electric grid in amounts used by those purchasing green power. In addition, they offset 100% of the non-renewable energy that is used in business operations and transportation. They use exclusively 100% post-consumer content paper, donate our jute coffee bags to local organic farms for use in erosion control and reuse and recycle as much as possible. 

MY REVIEW

Grounds for Change sent me a great sampling of their fair trade organic coffee, since we only drink Organic coffee anymore :)

I really enjoyed their coffee.  Their packaging was great and kept the flavor of the whole bean throughout the duration of the opened package.

Each bean was flavorful and full of aromas that just filled the room with an amazing smell of great coffee!

I LOVE everything that this company stands for and everything that it is doing to help, not only the environment, but in the sustainability of local and international farms and trade.

The fact that they are fair trade is so extremely important in the vitality of commerce in less fortunate areas around the world.

In addition to supporting industries such as Cafe Femenino Mexico, which was my favorite coffee, they also have a special coffee in which proceeds benefit The Humane Society!

Competitively priced, make sure to check out Grounds for Change - enjoy their coffee while making a HUGE difference in the world!

Can't wait? Try to win a bag!

GIVEAWAY

I really wanted one of my followers to be able to try this great coffee, so I am giving away one of the bags of whole bean organic coffee that Grounds for Change sent to me.

The winner will receive an 8 oz bag of Nordic Blend - Dark Roast - Bold notes of Black Cherry and Chocolate

This coffee, as all of theirs are, is USDA Organic, Shade Grown, Fair Trade, Certified Carbon Free

Here's how you can win:

NOTE: You must publicly follow Going Green with Noah via Google Friend Connect in order to enter any of my giveaways!

MANDATORY ENTRIES (worth 1 each – Leave separate comments):

• Visit Grounds for Change and tell me something great about their company that was not in this review! +1

OPTIONAL ENTRIES:

* Email Grounds for Change - Sincerely them about this great giveaway AND what you LOVE about their company and product +5

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* Follow me on Facebook Networked Blogs by clicking on the button on the sidebar - +2

• Tweet this: I'm trying to #win a #giveaway for a bag of #fairtrade #organic #Coffee from Groundsforchange.com @goinggreenwnoah - http://tinyurl.com/2f9j59u

        Tweet everyday for additional entries!! - Up to 1 x per day - +1

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* Vote for me "On the Fence" +2

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• Grab my NEW button and put it on your blog (leave me the link) +3

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• Enter any of my other giveaways +2 per giveaway


Contest ends November 1st, 2010, 7 pm CST. Winner will be drawn via a random number generator.

Disclosure: I received the product mentioned above in exchange for this review. No monetary compensation was received by me. This is my completely honest opinion above and may differ from yours. I cannot and will not be held liable for lost or products not received.