Several weeks ago, I declared unofficial war against Green Mountain Coffee, the Vermont company that had recently purchased the wholesale division of my beloved Seattle-based Tully's coffee. Yet after checking out Green Mountain's official blog, I must admit that while I still believe their beverages are a weak excuse for java, they score major points in the environmentalism department.
Recently, Green Mountain's founder Bob Stiller was awarded a Corporate Social Responsibility honor in Washington DC, to reward the company's work with the Jane Goodall Institute to develop a coffee that helps protect Chimpanzee habitats in Africa. As the Green Daily blog writes, Dr Goodall gave Green Mountain Coffee her "Good for All" rating, meaning that the brew is beneficial to the environment, community, and animal life surrounding the area where it is grown. Furthermore, Green Mountain has been an advocate of using fair trade and organic coffee beans, and of promoting social responsibility and sustainablility.
Again, even though I strongly maintain that their coffee tastes like water, I must admit that Green Mountain's very Vermont-esque "save the world" agenda is quite a refreshing departure from most corporate attitudes these days, even from (dare I say it!) the coffee giants in this Seattle-ite's own backyard. So I officially declare the unofficial war with Green Mountain Coffee over; the social and environmental conscious of their company overrides the inferior taste of their coffee. Plus, east coasters couldn't tell good coffee if its decadent, rich aroma hit them in the face, so Green Mountain Coffee will always have a market.