Challenge: Reducing the company's carbon footprint and brewing an outstanding cuppa joe
Solution: Developing a unique eco-roast technology
With every small purchase, customers of Jumping Bean Coffee make a big impact – on their taste buds and the environment. Not only does the Mount Pearl, NL-based company serve up a delicious brew, customers can relish each sip knowing the coffee is both fair trade and organic. “It is the guilt-free cup of coffee,” says Marketing and Public Relations Manager George Murray.
The company, the first certified fair trade coffee roaster in Newfoundland, has also developed an innovative way to further reduce its carbon footprint. Founder and CEO Jeff LeDrew designed an environmentally friendly roasting process called ECO2Roast. Roasting beans can produce an enormous amount of carbon dioxide, but Jumping Bean Coffee’s process produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions. This means that for every one pound (454 g) of coffee the company produces, one pound of carbon waste is saved. In practical terms, this reduction is equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb burning 24 hours a day for 17 days straight.
Most recently, the company has entered the single-pod market – but with their own unique, eco-friendly approach. “The pods are 100% compostable. They break down within six weeks,” says George.
The commitment to helping local communities and the environment has defined Jumping Bean Coffee since it first started as a Rotary Club fundraiser in 2005. “We’ve created a completely separate value in buying our coffee,” says George.
In addition to selling coffee through Walmart, Costco, Loblaws, and Sobeys stores across Atlantic Canada and in 260 Loblaws stores throughout Ontario, Jumping Bean Coffee cafés are currently serving up the perfect cuppa across Newfoundland, and there is one café in Nova Scotia. Plans to expand to the rest of Atlantic Canada and beyond are well under way. The company is also roasting coffee for other firms.
When opportunity knocks, companies need to be ready – but they need to be careful, notes George. “You need to be nimble. You need to have a growth plan. We don’t want to grow at a rate that is not sustainable. We don’t just take the first person that drives up with a trunkful of cash.”
Partnerships focused on building, growing and scaling a business, such as the one with the government of Canada, also play a key role in Jumping Bean Coffee’s continued growth. With support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the government is helping Jumping Bean Coffee expand by recently investing $500,000 to support its roasting and marketing activities.
Jumping Bean Coffee is a prime example of how innovation and resourcefulness fuel Atlantic Canada’s economy, at home and beyond.
For more information on programs and services available to businesses in Atlantic Canada call 1-800-561-7862 or go to canada.ca/acoa.
