At Counter Culture, coffee isn’t merely a bean or a beverage. It’s the furthest thing from a commodity. Coffee is a process involving high standards and tough decisions. Coffee is relationships and responsibilities. More than anything, coffee is a connective force that has the potential to bring out the best in people.

There’s nothing more exciting that introducing people to really great tasting coffee. That’s what we live for. Both within and outside of our company, our mission is to create cutting-edge coffee people. This is an ongoing educational process that involves company-wide training programs, barista certifications and weekly coffee cuppings that are open to the public. We’ve found that the more informed about coffee our consumers are, the better we are forced to perform. We remind ourselves daily that we’re performing for a demanding audience and we taste and reject a lot of sub-par coffee so that our customers don’t have to.

We have a responsibility to our growers. We’re making a difference in coffee-growing countries, working on location with growers and treating them as partners. Traditionally, the only way a farmer would get a message that his product wasn’t up to our standard was when we didn’t go back to him the next season. That economic message was a strong one, but it lacked that information needed to improve the situation. We’re now taking a more holistic approach, realizing that the specific feedback we pass along can improve future crops. And that’s better for everyone.

Great taste comes naturally. Our best coffee is grown organically, free of pesticides on small, shaded, well tended farms that stand in stark contrast to the high volume, full-sun, factory-style plantations that produce much of the world’s coffee. These small farms are where you’ll find 50-year old heirloom coffee varietals that have made it through rough conditions and have great taste to show for it. These plants are survivors and they’re stronger because of it. Their slow growth and extended maturation period results in a richer, more complex taste that is worth the wait. We didn’t invent this approach — it’s how coffee was meant to be grown.

Coffee is not a static science -- beans change over time. We constantly revisit our roasts to make sure the choices we’ve made are still valid. Roasting times and temperatures need to be recalculated to account for organic changes within the beans. There’s no machine to tell us when or how to do this and there aren’t many people that can do it either. That’s where our master roaster comes in. This guy slurps coffee for a living. He’s got grounds under his fingernails and he pretty much always smells like coffee. He can tell if a bag of un-roasted beans has sat in the sun too long. If you ask him, he’ll get starry eyed while telling you of a certain Ethiopian coffee he cupped over three years ago.

We keep as little roasted coffee on hand as possible. In our opinion, it’s better to be a little bit behind than ahead. We’re in the fresh food business after all. Our coffee is roasted, bagged and shipped on the same day.

Counter Culture has heart, passion and a moral conscience. Our coffee is grown in a sustainable way, ensuring that habitats are preserved. The growers with whom we partner are treated with respect and paid well, reflecting our belief that our successes are interdependent. We’re a community-based company that wants everyone to live well. And if that’s revolutionary, then so be it.

For more information visit Counter Culture Coffee