Social Impact - Heine Brothers' Coffee

At Heine Brothers,’ we have always been about much more than simply making a profit. From the beginning, we have been committed to treating people and the planet with respect and dignity. From working directly with organic coffee farmers, to recycling every milk jug we use; from partnering to provide clean water in Mexico, to protecting the natural awesome of the Green River here in Kentucky; Impact is one of the core values of our company, and important to all of us at Heine Bros’.

We love roasting coffee and operating coffee shops and we are proud to be making a difference here in Louisville and around the world. At Heine Brothers’ Coffee, we believe we’re doing well by doing what’s right.

Hometown Heroes:

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

-Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry is a Kentucky-based novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. A prolific author, he has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. The Berry Center – in New Castle, KY – is putting Wendell Berry’s writings to work by advocating for farmers, land conserving communities, and healthy regional economies.

Learn more at berrycenter.org.

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

-Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist from Louisville. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. The Muhammad Ali Center – in Downtown Louisville, KY – is a nonprofit museum and multicultural center dedicated to the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali.

Learn more at alicenter.org.

“The meaning of human life lies not in what one individual or generation can achieve, but in the fact that human beings are constantly envisioning and reaching toward something better.”

-Anne Braden

Anne Braden was an American civil rights activist, journalist, and educator dedicated to the cause of racial equality in Louisville and throughout the South. The Anne Braden Institue for Social Justice Research – a program within the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences – was founded to honor the work and legacy of Anne Braden, seeking to advance public understanding of the U.S. civil rights movement, both its powerful history and its unfinished agenda of racial and social justice.

Learn more at louisville.edu/braden.

Community Partners:

Heine Brothers’ is a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, a fair-trade green coffee buying cooperative that exists to import high-quality, organic green coffee from small-scale farmer organizations to build long-term relationships and foster fair and equitable trading practices. Coop Coffee’s goal is to make coffee growing a sustainable and beneficial endeavor for farmer families and their communities.

Through membership in Coop Coffees, Heine Brothers’ is able to work with coffee farming coops directly, not just on purchasing high-quality organic coffee at above fair-trade prices, but also on sustainability, community projects, cultural exchanges, and transparency.

For more info, visit: coopcoffees.coop

On The Ground supports sustainable community development in farming regions around the world. They accomplish this by partnering with other non-profits, progressive businesses (like Heine Brothers’), activists, philanthropists, and (most importantly) local communities. Together they are creating lasting infrastructure, built on a foundation of gender and social equality, environmental sustainability, and economic security.

Our focus is on water projects in Chiapas, Mexico with On The Ground. We do this by:
– Donating $2 from every Mizu/HB On The Ground reusable water bottle sold in our stores to On The Ground.

For more info, visit: onthegroundglobal.org

Forecastle Foundation was created in 2010 to protect the world’s most biologically-rich, highly-threatened hot spots. While founded as the activism arm of Louisville’s Forecastle Festival, it now operates independently year-round, and has contributed over $150,000 to it’s mission of protecting the world’s natural awesome.

Heine Brothers’ donates $1 from every 12oz bag of Kentucky Dream coffee sold to the Forecastle Foundation, for projects at Pine Mountain with Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, and also at the Green River in Central Kentucky with The Nature Conservancy.

For more info, visit: forecastlefoundation.org

The Center for Women and Families provides trauma-informed advocacy and support for individuals, families, and communities affected by intimate partner violence and sexual assault. They mitigate the impact of trauma by building resilience and reducing risk factors at all levels. They are guided by a strong grassroots feminist history, and are committed to social and economic justice. They co-create violence free homes, families, and communities.

Heine Brothers’ supports the Center by:
– Donating $1 from every 12oz bag of Ronda’s Blend coffee sold
– Donating the full price ($2) for every burlap coffee bag sold
– Our baristas donate all pennies from their tips

For more info, visit: thecenteronline.org

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is a grassroots organization of over 10,000 member across Kentucky. They use a set of core strategies, from leadership development to communications and voter empowerment, to impact a broad range of issues, including coal and water, new energy and transition, economic justice and voting rights.

Heine Brothers’ donates $1 from every 12oz bag of Mountain Dream coffee sold to KFTC.

For more info, visit: kftc.org

Kentucky Science Center is advancing a statewide science literacy campaign to encourage people of all ages to explore science in everyday life. Its flagship location on Louisville, KY’s historic Museum Row, welcomes visitors from across the globe with 3-floors of interactive exhibits and films on a 4-story screen. With daily programming for children, families, and adults, the Science Center plays an ongoing role in the region as a resource for caregivers and teachers, a gathering place for the science community, and a chosen source of entertainment for all.

Through the sale of glasses for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017, Heine Brothers’ raised over $50,000 for the School’s Out Science Camps at the Kentucky Science Center.

For more info, visit: kysciencecenter.org

Sustainability Facts:

Footprints

Heine Brothers’ Coffee has always believed that we should leave as small of a footprint as possible on the planet, and do good whenever possible to make the world a better place.

To-Go Cups

Our hot to-go cups are compostable AND recyclable, and our cold to-go cups are recyclable too! Even our lids are recyclable.

Local Sourcing

Our food comes from local bakers & makers here in the Kentuckiana area – cutting down on transportation pollution & helping the local economy!

Composting

Our spent coffee grounds, tea leaves, and more are collected weekly and composted by the University of Louisville’s Food Waste Composting Project and the city of Louisville!

Coffee Roasting

Our coffee roaster – the Loring Smart Roast – is the most environmentally-friendly roaster on the market. It uses less fuel (and emits less CO2) than any other commercial coffee roaster machine.

Organic Farming

We only source coffee and tea from organic farms – organic farming prevents toxic pesticides from polluting the land, the plant, the farmer, and the consumer.

Kentucky Dream

We created a tasty coffee blend, Kentucky Dream, with $1 from the purchase of each bag going to The Forecastle Foundation, for environmental projects at Pine Mountain and the Green River here in Kentucky.

Raw Sugar

We offer fair-trade, organic, raw sugar on the condiment counters at all of our stores and have done away with paper sugar packets.

Cooperative Coffees

In 2000, Heine Brothers’ Coffee co-founded Cooperative Coffees, the world’s first organic, fair trade coffee purchasing cooperative. We buy directly from cooperatives of farmers in the growing countries. Thanks to our customers, we’re selling lots of fair trade, organic coffee and helping improve the life of coffee farmers all over the world.

Recycling

Every week we go through tons of milk jugs, glass bottles, plastic containers, magazines, office paper, and newspaper here in our shops. We’ve been happily recycling all of that since the 1990′s.

Reusable Mugs

Buy a new or bring in your own reusable mug! When you bring it in you get discounts on drinks with it all year!

Traveler Blend

We’ve partnered with Grow Ahead and Coop Coffees on our Traveler Blend – for every bag sold, 2 trees are planted in Northern Peru with our coffee partners in Norandino Cooperative as part of their carbon & climate initiative.

Less Waste

Instead of wooden stir sticks that get thrown away, we have reusable metal spoons to stir your coffee on the condiment counter of all of our shops!

Send a Message

If you have any ideas for further steps we can take, please email them to us!