Seven Coffee Roasters is Tackling Sustainability

From our cafe in Ravenna to our diner in Maple Valley, Seven has become what it is because of the invaluable relationships we have with the tightly-knit communities we serve. We have always thought carefully about where our products come from, how we can support local businesses, and ways we can leave a positive impact on the communities we belong to— but we are ready to amp it up. 

In the next year we are making an ambitious transition from a coffee roaster that “thinks about” these things to the coffee roaster that makes social and environmental responsibility the heart of what we do and the core of our identity. 

I’m Seven’s new head of sustainability & marketing and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to drive us towards a more prosperous, creative future that builds on previous successes and wholly embraces sustainability. The way I see it, there’s no company better positioned to make this transition. Why? 

• From the top-down, our owner, managers, and employees think openly and creatively to provide coffee in a manner that is always becoming more ethical, equitable, and enthusiastic. 
  
• Our customers are admirably passionate about their community and care deeply about the role we play in symbolizing and enriching the community’s character. 
  
• Seven’s presence in Seattle affords us the environmental and social resources to hit the ground running, while our presence along the naturally historic sites of Ravenna Park and the Cedar River are a constant reminder to keep us going. 
• More than any industry, quality coffee is dependent on fostering relationships along the entire line of production, making it easier to understand our impact on global and local levels. 
• The strong rapport we have built with beloved small businesses in the area gives us the opportunity to make change that reaches beyond just our company. 

This incredibly unique set of circumstances gives us an unbelievable amount of potential to leverage our position into city-wide, industry-wide change. All over, you will find coffee companies making efforts to be more environmentally and socially responsible. But we don’t know of any other roaster in Seattle that’s measuring its success and establishing its identity on responsibility. This is what we will fight incredibly hard to be. Sure, it's “the right thing to do,” but more than that, it would be illogical for us to not grab ahold of this opportunity and reach our fullest potential. 

Admittedly, we are just starting this transition and have lots of progress to make.  However, part of our vision is to document every part of that progress here on our blog/social media so that we are also providing a roadmap to any other business that may want to go on this journey. We have so much in store and can’t wait to begin sharing it with you!

Not only is your input appreciated, but in reality, our transition won’t happen without active engagement with our customers and community. Send us a message about efforts you’d like to see implemented or resources we should know about.  Let’s get the conversation started!