Blog

Peru Meets Sumatra in Montreal
Peru Meets Sumatra in Montreal
Last week, our director of coffee Jennifer (on the bottom shelf in the group shot above!) attended a producer-roaster quality exchange at Cooperative Coffees' headquarters in Montreal (Coop Coffees is... Read more...
Participants in a literacy workshop for women in South Kivu, DRC, 2019
Sustainability, Part 4: We need to collaborate towards sustainability and development at the same time.
When our values align to transcend competition between specialty coffee importers, roasters, and retailers, collaboration across the supply chain offers benefits that standard isolated markets can’t. Read more...
Sustainability, Part 3: Let's Put People First
Sustainability, Part 3: Let's Put People First
A circular economic model is the vehicle required for change within the specialty coffee industry. When we operate along a continuous circle across our supply chain, we can build wealth and expertise... Read more...
Chemex brew pot in progress
Coffee Acidity: The Science and the Experience
While we could get out the pH strips from the old science kit and start testing every cup, the truth is that it’s more complicated than that. pH level doesn’t... Read more...
Sustainability, Part 2: Price Matters a Lot, and it's just One Piece of the Puzzle
Sustainability, Part 2: Price Matters a Lot, and it's just One Piece of the Puzzle
A primary focus on climate change and cost of production skirts past addressing the basic needs of people and their communities. In order to enact change, we coffee companies need... Read more...
Sustainability, Part 1: Inequality Rules the World
Sustainability, Part 1: Inequality Rules the World
Coffee could change the world. But first we need a disruptive innovation to evolve our trading system. This post is the first of four installments diving deep into the issue... Read more...
Be a Coffee Hero & Share HG this Holiday Season
Be a Coffee Hero & Share HG this Holiday Season
Special meals and gatherings with friends and family are what the holidays are all about. Our coffee menu will sustain you at every turn, offering a wide range of selections... Read more...
Higher Grounds Holiday Gift Guide
Higher Grounds Holiday Gift Guide
Shopping for the holidays can be a hassle, we know, especially when there are so many options to choose from. That’s why we’re here to simplify your holiday shopping experience... Read more...
Prices vs. Reality: the True Cost of Coffee
Prices vs. Reality: the True Cost of Coffee
If we want to keep drinking delicious specialty coffee, we need to be willing to pay for it, and every link of the supply chain has to be profitable. Otherwise, the... Read more...
Natural Process Coffee: Good for the World and Tasty for Us
Natural Process Coffee: Good for the World and Tasty for Us
Not only is dry-processed coffee an environmentally-friendly choice, it's a delicious one as well.  Read more...
Coffee blossoms in San Marcos, Guatemala
Guatemala Trip Report: February 2018
As a coffee roasting business who is directly invested in our cooperatively-owned importer, Higher Grounds aims to support our farming partners every step of the way. So when the farmers... Read more...
farmers of Kawa Kanzururu cooperative 2018
Out of Conflict, Into Hope: the Coffee of DRC
For years, since their coffee sector was basically decimated by war, Congolese farmers, including those who are now members of the Kawa Kanzururu cooperative, were forced to smuggle their coffee across... Read more...