Celebrating Earth Month 2024
At Bird Rock Coffee, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. With each cup of coffee, we're dedicated to making a positive impact on our planet. As we celebrate Earth Day in 2024, we're excited to share how we continue to evolve and innovate to lessen our environmental footprint. From our commitment to sustainable coffee farming practices to our efforts in waste reduction, every aspect of our journey reflects our dedication to protecting our Earth.
Our journey begins with the farms we partner with. We're proud to collaborate with some of the world's best coffee farms that prioritize land health and employ sustainable farming techniques. By choosing beans from farms that reject pesticides and embrace eco-friendly practices, we're ensuring that every cup of coffee supports environmental stewardship.
Take, for example, Juan Diego of Finca El Socorro, one of our Direct Trade producers who graduated from Earth University in Costa Rica. His commitment to quality and sustainability is reflected in his award-winning farms, which feature innovative ecological wet mills that recycle water and promote forest conservation.
But our sustainability efforts don't end at the farm. Once our beans reach our roasting facility, they're roasted on our state-of-the-art Loring Roasters. These roasters are designed for efficiency, minimizing environmental impact while delivering consistently high-quality coffee.
In 2022, our Loring Roasters helped us save an estimated total of 168,670 pounds of CO2.
Designed for efficiency, these roasters minimize environmental impact while delivering consistent quality. The single burner roasts coffee while incinerating smoke, providing 80% fuel savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The single-flame design helps heat air efficiently by recirculating warm air to reach ideal temperatures, requiring less time and energy. By implementing these thermodynamic properties and fast-reacting thermocouples, the Loring allows us to find the most precise roast profile for each varietal and origin of coffee bean.
We're also mindful of the supplies we use and the products we produce and serve. When it comes to dairy, we partner with Straus Dairy Farms, a certified organic creamery that prioritizes sustainability in every aspect of its operations. This certified organic, non-GMO creamery produces 100% organic dairy products. On top of producing a high-quality product, Straus puts intention into sustainable packaging, transportation, consuming 97% carbon-free electricity and has become TRUE® zero waste certified! The Straus Dairy Farm utilizes carbon farming, organic pasture-based feeding, rotational grazing, manure and enteric methane reduction practices, compost application, and an electric feed truck to stay aligned with a carbon neutral dairy farming model. Using these techniques helps to maintain the health of the land that feeds these cows!
Sustainability matters to us on every level of producing a product. From the coffee farms to the dairy creamery, we guarantee quality, and sustainable practices are emphasized in every element of producing coffee! From packaging to production, we're constantly thinking green. We reuse items whenever possible, minimize waste, and actively seek out partnerships with companies that share our commitment to sustainability.
This effort has led us to be Ocean Friendly Certified through the Surfrider Foundation for over 5 years! Just as we are committed to sustainable coffee production from the farms we work with to your cup, we are committed to making choices that keep our oceans healthy and lessen our environmental impact. This is why we chose to partner with the Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter for our April Cause Coffee - Earth Blend, where $1 per bag sold is donated.
But the most exciting part of our sustainability journey is your role. By choosing Bird Rock Coffee, you're not just enjoying a great cup of coffee – you're supporting a company that's dedicated to making a difference at the farm level to our communities.
Apr 16th 2024