Our Commitments to Community and Sustainability

Climate Change Mitigation Fund

Solar panels at a co-op
Café Mam initiated a Climate Change Mitigation Fund to be a resource for the farmers who supply our coffee. This is in response to the critical issues coffee farmers in Chiapas are facing as a result of climate change. For every pound of coffee we purchase, we contribute an additional 10¢ to be used by the co-ops to combat climate change. This fund has been used in many productive ways including:
  • Large-scale shade and fruit tree planting efforts that help maintain farming microclimates and for carbon sequestration.
  • Building composting facilities (“bio-fabricas”) to supply compost to farming communities.
  • Retrofitting cooperative processing and administration buildings to clean solar energy. 
  • Planting ground cover for improved soil health and erosion control. 
  • Funding educational programs for rural farming communities focused on instilling a culture of protection and conservation of natural resources.

We started the fund in 2019, and with this year's crop, it reached $232,000 in funding. As a company committed to environmental causes, we intend to continue this fund going forward for all of our coffee purchases. Our hope is to be a resource for small parcel farmers and provide them with more opportunities to implement solutions that will work for them in a rapidly changing climate. Climate change is a global problem that needs global participation and teamwork to be addressed.

Community

2% of sales to donated
Café Mam donates 2% of coffee sales to nonprofits and organizations committed to organic agriculture, social justice, and environmental causes. We have always believed in activism through business — it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the land, provide action and a voice for justice, and be a model for the communities we are a part of.

Since 1990 we have donated over $1.4 million in funds and product to a variety of nonprofits. Café Mam also offers two hours of paid time per week for employees interested in volunteering time to worthy causes within their communities.

Sustainability

SPP

Café Mam is committed to purchasing 100% organic and fairly traded, Small Producer Certified coffee. These purchases support cooperatives and farmers who have made a commitment to better their social and natural environments.


bird on cup

Café Mam coffee is shade-grown and bird-friendly! The farmers preserve the jungle canopy by growing in the shade, which encourages a biological diversity of plants and animals vital to migratory bird populations. Farmers build terraces to conserve rainwater and reduce runoff, which protects paths and creeks, preventing erosion.


french roast

All of our packaging is compostable! We package our coffee in paper Kraft bags that have a glassine or PLA liner (not plastic), which is fully biodegradable and compostable. Our one-pound Eco-Valve Bags are shelf-stable packages featuring a biodegradable degassing valve to keep the coffee fresher on your shelf while reducing landfill waste.


Electric coffee bean

Our delivery fleet runs on renewable fuels and energy sources! We use both electric vehicles and vehicles running on sustainably produced renewable diesel when available. This lessens our dependence on a petroleum-based economy.


Love Food Not Waste
We've teamed up with a local composting program! Love Food Not Waste collects our coffee grounds and turns them into compost for use in gardens and landscaping throughout our community.