The Future is Cooperative!
Celebrating National Cooperative Month.
October is National Cooperative Month. Every year cooperatives across the country celebrate the power of working cooperatively. There are over 65,000 worker owned, member owned and credit union-based cooperatives in the United States.
Highlighting a Farmer Cooperative
Cooperatives are a foundation of Dean’s Beans. We buy directly from coffee farmer cooperatives in 11 countries around the world. Our relationship with Prodecoop in Nicaragua traces back 30 years! In that time we’ve purchased nearly 1,000,000/lbs of green coffee beans directly from them (WOW!). Long standing relationships like these mean our farmers can count on us to support them in not only producing great coffee, but also working together on important social and environmental projects that benefit their communities. We’ve listened to what farmers need and helped to create children’s literacy projects, ensured access to safe water, facilitated the planting of fruit trees to encourage crop diversity and create a bird friendly habitat, and more! Together with our Nicaraguan partners at Prodecoop, we also produce some really great coffee.
Last year after a time of careful planning and consideration, Dean Cycon sold Dean’s Beans to its workers. Rather than selling the company to the highest bidder, Dean turned Dean’s Beans into a 100% worker-owned coop. Everyone at Dean’s Beans believes in "People and the planet before profit." By keeping ownership in the hands of the people making the coffee, we keep our company focus where it belongs - using coffee as a vehicle for positive change. We’re continuing to do the same great work and upholding the mission that Dean established 30 years ago.