All coffee is not created equal. Some stand out for their branding, delicious lattes, and cozy cafes. Others break the mold by creating community, helping charities, and supporting local farmers. Then you have the perfect combo; a stellar local coffeehouse and roaster that produces the perfect cup of coffee and also goes above and beyond to give back to the community.
Lucky for Chicago, we have a plethora of choices where we can satisfy our caffeine fix or purchase fresh roasted beans to brew at home. So, feel good about grabbing that second (or third) cup of coffee when you purchase from these six local roasters that give back to the community in unique and delicious ways.
Dark Matter
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Dark Matter Coffee opened the world’s first coffee shop where 100 percent of the proceeds support suicide prevention and mental health education. Sip of Hope, a collaboration with Hope For The Day, is located in Logan Square. “Life is hard and some days we need more than a cup of coffee to get us through the day. We need to remind ourselves that, despite the things we’ve been through, it’s OK to feel pain, it’s OK to talk about it.” Can’t make it in? You can purchase their Sip of Hope coffee beans and accessories online.
Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea
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This month, Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea is supporting CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) and partnering with local businesses for their #mugsforadelaide campaign. Purchase their special Adelaide’s Blend, inspired by Adelaide Cervantes, daughter of Chicago “Hamilton” star Miguel Cervantes (aka Alexander Hamilton) and CURE board member Kelly Cervantes, and they will donate 20 percent of sales to the nonprofit. It gets even better — purchase a pound or try it at a local business, share a photo on social media, and you will be entered to win “Hamilton” tickets with a backstage tour by Miguel himself!
Bridgeport Coffee
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Bridgeport Coffee, based on the south side of Chicago, has offered special roasts for several fundraising campaigns. This includes their Chicago Public Schools and the Wetlands Initiative blends. Bridgeport is also committed to working with farmers: “Beyond just organic and fair-trade products, we offer a direct relationship with many of our growers — ensuring the shortest line of supply to the finest globally produced beans that embody all the qualities you value for local roasting and flavor consistency.” Visit one of their four locations or purchase their beans in local stores.
Good Manner Coffee
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Good Manner Coffee is a husband and wife roasting team that was born out of a love for coffee and people and a deep appreciation for the creative community. Not only do they source from independent farmers, but they also partner with local artists to design limited edition bags for their roasts and give a portion of the sales to the artist. “Ray and I always knew that we wanted to support other creatives by providing another platform to showcase their work,” owner Alisha Crespo says. “As we grow we hope to continue to hone in on our vision by finding creative and meaningful ways to do good and be good.” Watch out for their roastery and coffee bar, Good Manner Co, in Lakeview opening this winter. Until then, purchase their roasts online.
Passion House Coffee
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Passion House’s mission is to “produce nuanced, complex, and clean coffee while cultivating relationships with the farms.” And as their name suggests, they are passionate about it. They partner with local organizations to raise awareness and funds for important issues, including support for the LGBTQ community and food education for children. Their Equality IL Collaboration Blend benefits Equality Illinois and their Big Green Collaboration Blend supports Big Green Chicago. Both blends give a portion of proceeds back to the nonprofits. Purchase online or visit their Logan Square café.
BCBC Coffee Lab
Located in Evanston and Chicago, BCBC Coffee Lab’s mission is to “love our neighbor.” Their Coffee Lab is a “place of inclusion, diversity, harmony, and action” and they fully support those who have met hard times. To do so, they partner with nonprofits like Curt’s Café, which offers job training to young adults living in at-risk situations. BCBC helps by providing opportunities after their work and life-skills program is complete. BCBC recently expanded to a new Lakeview Coffee Lab and will open a second Chicago location soon. You can purchase their locally roasted beans online as well.
Feature photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash.
Macaire Douglas lives in Chicago with her husband and two sons. She proudly supports Share Our Spare, a local nonprofit that collects goods for children in need.
