A couple of weeks ago (OK it has been a little longer than that), I wrote about sustainable coffee. Now, after much ado with my little one, I learned about a unique North Carolina coffee business located right here in the Triangle.
Larry’s Beans (LB) is a savvy coffee roasting company that not only provides quality coffee to consumers, but also supports small sustainable coffee growers in developing countries. The owner and founder of LB, Larry Larson, not only believes in agricultural sustainability, but living and breathing sustainability in his business too.
An abbreviated history on Larry: he came to North Carolina, opened a coffee shop called Java Jive, and became fascinated in bean roasting. Then Larry became interested and involved in a coffee buying cooperative; he helped establish Cooperative Coffees, which was the brainchild, Bill Harrison. (Larry was one of the first five original independent roasters involved in Cooperative Coffees.) Now Larry’s business spans the coffee spectrum from buying sustainably grown beans through Cooperative Coffees, roasting beans, and, yes, drinking beans (um, I mean coffee).
So how exactly does LB provide consumers with quality coffee? Why is LB so special? And last, but certainly not least, why should LB business practices matter to us?
LB goes the distance, quite literally, to obtain quality beans. Quality means that LB beans are 100% Organic and Fair Trade from countries in South America and Africa. Each year LB delegates visit these countries to ensure best cultivation practices and cultivate lasting relationships with farmers. Additionally there is the annual meeting where LB roasters and growers get together to talk about challenges (agricultural, business, and social change) and share best practices.
How is LB ‘special’? LB makes sure their beans can be tracked, e.g., country and farm; this can be done simply by using the code on the bottom of an LB bag of beans. (Already have a bag of LB, here's the link to track your beans.) Transparent, special, and pretty for this growing small business, but then again that is the beauty of LB, they are consistently thinking ahead of the curve. Their focus is less about the money and more about their customers and growers. This is admirable and an act that can go a long way in a money-centric society.
Another specialty coming from the folks of LB: they are truly green-o-vative. They make sustainability their company’s lifestyle, and they believe in implanting environmentally friendly changes “one step at a time.” LB’s business acumen began with fair trade coffee, but now the company’s passion for all that is sustainable lies beyond the beans and includes
- green warehouses and offices
- the ‘veggie bus’ (i.e., a bus powered by waste vegetable oil)
- bean chaff compost (offered to local farmers)
- burlap bagged biodegradable beans bags (note: LB receives the beans in biodegradable bags and then gives them to local farmers for weed control)
- vermiculture (worms compost waste to create quality fertilizer
- installing rain water cisterns, low flow toilets, etc.
Why should LB business practices matter to us? If you are reading this, then you are clearly a concerned citizen. Maybe you’re trying to figure out what you can do, or if there is something that you are already doing to help our precious planet. But, as a consumer, if you’re thinking coffee, think LB—they are 100% consistent and 200% transparent. Can any other coffee roaster tell you about the location and farms of the beans they are selling? If so, let me know because I have yet to find this sort of information in such a forthright, straightforward manner.
What I learned is that when you buy LB, you buy quality...and with quality, you're helping to sustain our earth a little more day-by-day, cup-by-cup, or bean-by-bean...(however you'd like to think of it).
So, Salud—to you and to our planet—and enjoy!
Want to learn more about LB, visit Larry’s Beans website
Burning questions just gnawing at you, check out LB’s FAQ
Maybe you'd like to see what LB is doing up-close-and-personal? If so, check out their next public tour (with coffee tastings-Yum!) on April 9th.
Other up-and-coming events/items for 2011:
- Updating and kicking off a more super-charged and interactive website
- Easily accessible information through the LB website, including information on coffee farmers, sustainability, green building, LB events, new coffees, and the “inside scoop”
- “Bad Kitty” blend (100.7 FM, The River)
- Get the word out on LB and connect w/ fans using social media in stronger capacity
- Expanding LB’s Southeast market (EarthFare)
- Announcement of the 2011 spring facility tours
- For tour information, check out LB's Facebook page
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