Top: Cofounder of Grace Farms Foods Adam Thatcher with Grace Farms CEO and founder, Sharon Prince in Darjeeling, India
Grace Farms is offering up some seriously buzz-worthy coffee
and tea—and we’re not talking about the caffeine
For coffee and tea lovers, there’s a way to savor your favorite beverages and learn more about them, while socializing with others and supporting a great cause in the process. Grace Farms in New Canaan offers a menu of coffee and tea tastings, a fun and educational alternative to meeting a friend for a cocktail. The Grace Farms Foundation, with its award-winning glass-enclosed River Building set on an eighty-acre nature preserve, welcomes guests for tastings with Frank Kwei, tea master and coffee aficionado. You can also choose to attend an afternoon tea and enjoy the ethically and sustainably sourced tea along with English and Japanese-inspired bites made by pastry chef Leah Jones.
For the tea tastings, groups gather in the glass pavilion to sample five or six teas ranging from green to black to herbal, plus a special treat of tea brought back from the staff’s visits to the tea gardens in Darjeeling, India. There’s also a new Wellness & Tea series on Saturday, an event combining yoga, music and tea.
At coffee tastings, you’ll sample varieties brewed in different ways to taste the difference between single-origin coffees from Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia, and brewing methods and roast levels. This is blended with a conversation about sourcing, the difference of organic vs. non-organic and why Fair Trade is important.
What’s the connection between coffee and tea and the Foundation? “It’s about connecting that cup to the people on the other side of the world who make the coffee or tea,” says Adam Thatcher, cofounder of Grace Farms Foods, a certified B Corp that provides premium teas and coffee with all profits going to Grace Farms Foundation’s mission to end forced labor worldwide.
There are 28 million people globally living in forced labor, whether it’s coercion, threats, no pay or travel documents withheld. This issue is being addressed by Grace Farms Foods on several levels, starting with the fact that they source coffees exclusively from only women-led co-ops in Ethiopia, Colombia and Indonesia; and it’s the first and only U.S. tea company to partner with Fairtrade International, the gold standard.
“With our coffee and tea, we are walking the walk,” says Adam, referring to the product standards. “For us, it’s around gender equity, Fair Trade, making it organic and sustainable.” Follow up is key as well. “It doesn’t end at a certification for us,” he explains. “We travel to meet the farmers in Colombia and India to ensure that the expectation of fair, equitable, sustainable work practices are being met on the ground.”
These coffees and teas are also excellent quality. Some businesses are getting involved by providing Grace Farms coffees and teas to their employees and hosting tastings. World Economic Forum, JP Morgan and UBS are all partnering with Grace Farms.
You can purchase the coffees and teas to enjoy at home at Mike’s Organic, Walter Stewart’s Market and Double L Market as well as online at Amazon or sharegracefarms.com. For more information or to sign up for a tasting, visit gracefarms.org.
