Our Roastery Team
Our roastmaster, Joe Cesa, has been micro-roasting coffee in Philadelphia since 2002. His commitment to Fair Trade started then and carried into Philly Fair Trade Roasters in 2010, when he joined with partners to launch a Fair Trade coffee roasting company. Our roasting facility is in the Feltonville section of North Philly and from there we produce high-quality, roasted coffee.
Our business is run by a small staff so we all wear different hats. In unison to the idea of Fair Trade coffee, we believe our employees also deserve higher than usual wages. Each of our employees, from roasting and packing, customer service and sales, to demo and farmers market staff, work hard to support our mission in delivering delicious coffee grown by real people.
100% Fair Trade and Organic
We source our coffee from Fair Trade and Organic certified cooperatives in Central and South America and the Pacific Islands. Through a partnership with a direct importer, Crop to Cup, we are able to source excellent African coffees with direct connection to the farmers where they are encouraging them to build up to Fair Trade practices. We are also a Certified Organic facility, a rare find in this region for this product.
We’re Committed to Environmental Sustainability
We limit our waste, compost our biodegradable chaff and grounds at WB Saul Agricultural High School in Roxborough, and recycle all possible recyclables. Our roasted beans are packaged in recyclable/compostable bags made with vegetable-based cello and recycled kraft paper. This reduces waste and is perfect for a fresh product to be consumed in a few weeks. You can even purchase compost using our coffee, Henry Got Compost, at Weaver’s Way Food Co-ops. In as many ways possible, we strive toward being a Zero Waste facility.
We’re Committed to Healthy Local Economies
We support local and small businesses and buy American made products. As members of SBN, Philadelphia’s Sustainable Business Network, we are actively committed to a community of like minded businesses. We support our producers’ organic practices, ensuring that farmers work in environmentally-healthy communities and paid more for their crop than they would receive from normal trade channels. The few selections we buy via direct trade are from totally transparent sources, assuring us that the extra premiums paid are going directly to the producers–in their pockets, their areas’ infrastructure, education systems, health care programs and facility needs such as washing stations for coffee production. We’re making a difference–with your patronage–one cup at a time!
