Locally, this impact is more obvious due to the nature of our business, and as our business grows, so does our impact or “footprint” on our environment. It is here that we feel we can affect the most significant change.
Alakef Coffee has always had an aggressive recycling program, and now with the advent of innovations such as corn starch based packaging materials, we are able to take steps to further reduce what we take out of and put back into the environment. Our chief roasting by-products (coffee chaff and jute bags) have been regularly stocking compost bins, mulching gardens, insulating trees and hauling hunting decoys around Minnesota and Wisconsin for years.
We hope to improve upon these efforts by working with our local customers and coffee shops to draw more attention to environmental issues and cooperate with them to reduce their waste and overall footprint as well.
Whatever our impact is locally, we’re also fully understanding of our global presence and the impact we have on people halfway around the world. Our continued involvement in the Fair Trade and USDA Organic certification programs are but a beginning for us as we attempt to improve the lives and surroundings of those who work so hard to provide us with the coffee upon which we have built our livelihoods and reputations. We are committed to building upon that and encourage our community of customers to join us in participating.
Steps we have taken:
-Alakef Coffee first attained its Organic Certified status in 2000.
-We joined the Fair Trade program in 2001.
-We attained Kosher certification in 2004.
- In 2007, Alakef Coffee established a co-op community charity program. A portion of the proceeds from every pound of organic coffee sold at participating co-ops and natural food stores goes to a local charity organization of that businesses choosing.
-As of January 2008, we have initiated our participation in the Trees For The Future program, committing to planting over 4000 trees in coffee growing regions to offset our carbon footprint.
-Most of our decomposable byproduct is recycled back into our community by way of the gardens and compost bins of our neighbors, area farmers, and local community garden programs.
-Alakef Coffee is currently improving the efficiency of our facility by replacing outdated florescent lighting systems with a more efficient T-8 light system, and replacing exterior doors with ones that offer a better insulation value to cut down on heat loss during the cold winter months.
-Most of our employees live within a short distance to the roasterie, and we encourage them to make use of alternative means to get to work each day.
Our commitment to making Alakef Coffee as environmentally and socially conscious as possible is ongoing. In the coming months, we will be investigating alternative energy programs to reduce our consumption and seek out new ways to further reduce our overall waste by making use of more environmentally friendly products and packaging as they become accessible to us.
