Grounds for Change

Grounds for Change is proud to be a long-standing business member of 1% For The Planet. We donate over one percent of our total annual sales to environmental non-profit organizations in support of their missions and have been doing so since our inception in 2003. 1% For The Planet is an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. Members recognize their responsibility to and dependence on a healthy environment and donate at least 1% of their total annual sales to environmental organizations worldwide. The alliance aims to prove that taking environmental responsibility is good for business.

It is YOU, our loyal customers, who have co-created our 23-year history of roasting the finest fair trade organic coffee available and supporting the same grower cooperatives on an ongoing basis. Thank you for making this possible!

Coffee in 2025
As many of you have seen in the news, green coffee prices have surged in the last three months and are now trading at historically high levels - supply is down for numerous reasons while demand is up. As a result, price increases from all coffee roasters throughout the industry are guaranteed, along with shrinking pack sizes from some (our pack sizes will remain the same).

The current record high green coffee prices are well above the FLO International fair trade minimum price and our FLO International fair trade premiums apply above the coffee futures market (C market) whenever it is above the minimum. Remember that fair trade is a safety net when the market is low but that fair trade premiums apply above the market price when it is high.

The FLO International minimum prices and premiums that we pay are significantly higher than the weaker “Fair Trade USA” certification (which certifies coffee from large, private plantations and has not implemented any increases to its minimum prices or premiums since 2011). We broke away from Fair Trade USA when they began certifying private estate plantations in 2011.

We evaluate our green coffee costing every month and only pass through price increases that are necessary to retain the solvency of our business. While we will all be paying more for coffee, the reality is that it must become more expensive in order for it to provide a sustainable livelihood for coffee producers around the world.