Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Recent Acquisitions

I didn't really need another reason to love Larry's Beans. A coffee roaster across the state in Raleigh, Larry's already has so much going on for their beans and their business. They use organic, shade-grown beans (which is better for birds and bugs), they engage in fair-trade practices (wherein people are treated like, well, people, and not commodities), they heat their building with solar panels and they slow-roast their beans in a passive solar, rainwater-harvesting warehouse. Sounds good, right?

And now, to really up the ante, their coffee bags are biodegradable. This means a lot to me. Typically, I try to reuse the same coffee bag every time I need more joe. After a while, though, the bag starts to fall apart. I'll then rip it up, add it to the compost pile, and grab a new one the next time I'm picking up bulk beans. On occasion, though, I forget and leave the bag at home. When that happens, or sometimes if a specific blend that I really like is on sale, I buy a prepackaged bag of coffee. I recently found another local supplier I adored and wrote them on Twitter to find out if their bags are recyclable. Sadly, they aren't. With Larry's, though, I needn't worry, as the bag will break down on its own.

I make a good deal of purchase choices based on the "end of life" cycle of a product. I'd like to be able to recycle, upcycle, repurpose, reuse or biodegrade something after I'm done using it. Business decisions like this one from Larry's make my purchase decisions so much easier.

6 comments:

elisa said...

so great. i was so pleased when a gorgeous, ethical, organic chocolate i can get at the farm shop switched to paper, i'll buy theirs over anyone's now. x

Dave said...

I think the "end of the life" cycle is so often overlooked when we make purchases. And for that reason most manufacturers don't consider changing their packaging. Hats off to you.

Lauren said...

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but when I was living in NC I'd always try to get something from the Blad Guy Brew truck at the market. Always had good stuff.

Jessica said...

I love it when companies use a compostable bag. Its sure easier on my conscious! Feels so much better to throw something in the compost than in the garbage.

Justin said...

I'm happy to hear that a product like this is coming around. My wife and I visited the HQ of Green Mountain Coffee a few years back up in Vermont and they have a whole exhibit about how they like to be good earth stewards and whatnot but they still hadn't found an acceptable alternative to plastic vacuum-pak coffee bags and the plastic in their disposable k-cups (a BIG business for them right now as they own Keurig). Maybe whatever product this company uses will spread to the big guys soon. We can hope!

cindy d said...

Larry's is also the pump station for Piedmont Biodiesel in Raleigh, and they run their trucks on it, I believe. Another reason to love them!