The Best of the Best of Coffee’s B Corps

B Corp’s annual “Best for the World” list recognizes companies that score in the top 10 percent in terms of positive environmental and social impact.

Two coffee companies have made the relatively short annual list of companies from throughout the world identified by public benefit company certifier B Corporation as being “Best for the World.”

Chapel Hill, N.C. and Bogota, Colombia-based Caravela Coffee and Poulsbo, Washington-based Grounds for Change were recently recognized as being in the top 10 percent of B Corp-certified companies, following the certifier’s B Impact Assessment that results in its annual list.

You may be wondering, “What is B Corp certification and why does it matter?” We’ve got that covered in this piece, including some thoughts on why more coffee companies may be smart to seek the seal. In a nutshell, B Corporation is a third-party certifier of public benefit corporations, an increasingly popular concept in which the operations of for-profit companies are tied all manners of social and environmental public good at home and in supply/distribution networks.

The B Corp “Best for the World” list uses the certifier’s impact assessment methodology to determine which of the 1,257 certified B Corp companies, representing 121 industries and 38 countries, are in the top 10 percent. It assigns scores to companies based on environmental impact; treatment and welfare of employees; positive impact on customers; impact on the company’s local community, as well as communities in the company’s supply network; and the accountability and transparency of the company’s governance. In the end, the assessment cranks out a score based on a 200-point scale (a total of 80 or more is required for certification).

Caravela, which is a vertically integrated coffee exporter and importer which works with farms throughout the Central and South Americas, received a final assessment score 0f 152, one of the highest scores among all the certified B Corp companies. Roaster and sustainably minded coffee buyer Grounds for Change reached a final score of 128.

“Our business’ main mission is to generate a sustainable coffee industry by connecting passionate and dedicated coffee producers in Latin America with the most demanding coffee roasters and consumers throughout the world,” Caravela CEO Alejandro Cadena said after making the list. “We achieve this by educating producers on better practices, creating a market for their high quality product and rewarding them with a higher price for higher quality coffee.”