Looking for a guilt-free cup of joe?  Then look no further.  Since 1992, Jim Cannell of Jim’s Organic Coffee has been roasting the holy grail of coffee beans: all-organic, fair-trade certified, shade grown, incorporates renewable resources in its packaging, gives back to the communities it works in, not to mention, scored three out of four leaves in the Greenopia Coffee Rating Guide! 

So how does a guy who worked on Wall Street decide to start the first all-organic coffee roaster with a philanthropic heart?

Greenopia sat down with Jim Cannell over a cup of his best java to find out why being in business is more than just about counting beans for him.

Greenopia:  What makes Jim’s Organic Coffee, organic and sustainable?

Jim:  For starters, we are an all-organic coffee roaster.  All the coffee we roast and sell is certified organic.  This means it is grown without the use of pesticides and fertilizers. 

But great quality organic coffee is so much more!  In order to produce great tasting coffee (which is what we are really all about), the trees grow under a biodiverse shade canopy.  This shade provides foliage to the dirt as it falls, but also excellent habitat for birds and other species. 

Great tasting organic coffee is also about dirt – deep, thick, rich, dirt.  Organic coffee growers produce a deeper topsoil than other coffees.  This is from mulching the coffee cherries annually, as well as groundcover plantings that prevent topsoil erosion.

We also take steps in every part of the business to be “green”.  Our electricity is all wind generated.  Our gas usage (for roasting and company transportation) is all from renewable sources.  We do this using “offsets”, as we are a small company and can’t exactly afford a wind turbine.

We were also the very first company to introduce a significant percentage of renewable resources into our packaging.  This, as well as many other little things costs a bit more, but we feel this is how we make a positive impact and that is the whole reason we got into this in the first place.

Greenopia:  How did working on Wall Street lead you to start a coffee business?

I was working as a coffee broker---selling commercial grade coffee to the Folgers and Maxwell Houses of the world.  Then I got involved in specialty coffee---sourcing and selling to the then small gourmet businesses like Starbucks and Peet’s.  This quality aspect of coffee is what really got me excited.  Then, we started getting offers on organic coffee and there were not really a lot of takers. 

So, my desire to do organic coffee, plus move to “the country” and start my own business, lead me to start the world’s first all-organic coffee company.

I still have a lot of good friends from the Wall Street days and many of them have become very involved in organics and this is obviously a good thing.

Greenopia:  Besides its eco-friendliness, what would you say sets your coffee apart from other brands?

Quality.  We have always been about finding the best.  There are plenty of organic coffees out there to choose from but not many that are really, really amazing.  And that is what we do---focus on the truly great coffees.  We have also brought a lot of new coffees to market.  For instance, we are now roasting a Honduras Pacamara which comes from a model farm (Santa Martha) and whose quality is over the top. 

Greenopia:  How is philanthropy a part of your business model?

We like to give back in a way that yields specific results.  Rather than aligning ourselves with a well-known charity, we have chosen specific projects where our dollars really make a lasting difference in the lives of children, particularly in coffee growing areas.  We funded new classrooms, stocked with books, and built a community library in Atitlan, Guatemala.  We are now working with an Orphanage in Tanzania to give them clean drinking water.  In fact, we just heard that the water survey is done so the water is there, and we (with other groups) are working on getting a well dug for them.

What’s next for Jim’s Coffee?  Any plans on becoming the next Starbucks?

We have been doing this for a while and we have seen very large companies get involved with organics and surpass us in terms of sales growth.  We have also seen small companies come and go.  Sure, we want to grow – and we are.  But we also want to stay true to our mission of providing our customers with top-notch coffee.  And we want to make sure we savor the fun and enjoyment that comes with providing great coffee.  Great tasting coffee that makes you feel good about where it comes from, and the peace of mind knowing that provides.

>> Check out Greenopia's Coffee Rating Guide for the top ranked greenest coffees around!