Sustainability at The Coffee Club
Making a positive impact on society has been part of The Coffee Club’s culture since the first store opened in 1989, in Australia. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for charities and community groups and over the last few years we have acted to better our sustainable practices.
We understand that you want transparency around what you are buying, eating, and drinking at The Coffee Club so we aim to align with your expectations and deliver a connected café experience with purpose.
There are many facets to sustainability that we have already changed, and now our teams are thinking bigger and better on how we can create change for good.
Protecting the future of coffee
100% of our coffee is purchased under our partner’s Sustainable Coffee Program
100% of our coffee is roasted locally in Melbourne, Australia
100% of our coffee and chocolate powder are free from artificial flavour, colours and preservatives and are non-GMO
100% of our tea is ethically sourced and provided by JING
Support environmental coffee projects
We buy 100% of our coffee via our coffee partner’s Sustainable Coffee Program. This program helps combat some of the inequalities of the coffee industry by:
- Buying premium grade coffee above commodity prices
- Dealing directly (including visiting countries of origin) with co-operatives, large independent farmers, and specialty coffee brokers to help producers understand and produce to our quality parameters
- A Coffee Fund to help with financial incentives, education, and training to help support the local communities
- Donating funds to help support environmental coffee projects; since 2018, The Coffee Club raised over $100,000 which will be donated to support sustainable initiatives
Sethuraman Estate Coffee Farm in India
Our Indian coffee beans come from the Sethuraman Estate in India. This estate is biodiversity hotspot with farmers conscious of making sure all their processes are eco-friendly. Their fertilizer is made up of byproducts from cows including milk, manure, yoghurt, and ghee. This acts as a natural growth promoter and insecticide. This recipe has been passed down for four generations!
They have a strong community focus with many stories of workers who have grown up on the farm and attended the school next door. The employees are given free housing on the farm and the workers get the highest wages compared to any coffee farms in India. They make child education a priority ensuring all kids on the farm get free education.
The manager, Nishant, is a member of local organisations in both coffee and growers’ associations. He works with other local businesses to be more economical when it comes to exporting and the supply process.