Larrys Coffee: A Glimpse into Sustainable Coffee
Based in Raleigh, NC, Larrys Coffee aims to provide a slow roasted cup of coffee while making the roasting process both environmentally and socially responsible. As a Certified B-Corporation, Larry’s coffee blends line are certified Fair Trade, Organic, and Shade Grown. Aside from these facts, what makes Larry’s Coffee different from other local roasters in the US?
Curious to learn more, Big Cup of Coffee spent a few hours researching this company for all of you.
Larry’s Coffee – An Overview
Larry’s Coffee’s demonstrable love for coffee, nature, and the community makes this fair trade coffee company genuinely outstanding and inspiring.
Pros
Cons
Background
Larry Larson, the founder of Larry’s Beans, firmly believes that each coffee bean can produce a unique flavor when it reaches its potential somewhere between twelve and twenty minutes of slow roasting. “It’s how we find those unexplored frontiers of taste,” according to Larry’s Coffee founder.
The coffee beans they import from different producers and coffee regions are roasted in varying lengths before being blended to create a unique flavor profile that suits your palate. Larry’s Coffee sees it as their responsibility to bring out the best in each bean with their roasting practices since farmers work hard to make sure that their coffee beans’ taste is unique.
For Larry, It’s a great honor to transform exceptional coffee beans cultivated by farmers into a great-tasting coffee everyone will love.
Where does the coffee come from?
Larry’s Coffee sources their coffee beans from 16 coffee-producing countries around the world. This Raleigh-based coffee roaster partners with small-farm cooperatives that grow coffee in 2 to 5 acres of land. As the founding member of Cooperative Coffees, an independent roaster cooperative that imports Fair Trade Beans directly from the producers, they offer all partner farmers pre-financing solutions and treat them as equals, rather than suppliers.
Certifications
As a coffee roaster with a mission, Larry’s Coffee lives up to the expectations of a Certified B Corporation. For the uninitiated, a Certified B Corporation meets the highest standards in both social and environmental sustainability through their performance.
This Raleigh, NC-based coffee company is certified by Fair Trade, Kosher, USDA Organic, and Shade-Grown. They uphold the belief that “businesses can be a force for good.”
Sustainability is King
Larry’s position themselves as coffee artists on a mission with the prime task to promote sustainability. So, if you’re searching for intel about Larry’s Coffee, it all comes down to these three big words:
B-Corporation
As a certified B-Corporation with an overall impact score of 113.0, Larry’s business model is a blueprint of a sustainable coffee roaster. The coffee company is the founding member of the Cooperative Coffees, which imports coffee directly from the family-owned farms to improve the coffee farmers’ lives and give definitive higher standards on partnership and fairness.
Energy Efficiency
The company follows Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood, where much of its facilities utilize renewable energy and sustainable infrastructures. From solar water-heated floors, rainwater harvesting-driven restrooms, massive passive-solar straightforward story to recently launched fully recyclable K-cups.
2019 Best for the World: Community
Larry’s Coffee gives back to the community more than they take. They are committed to using innovative and sustainable ways to make the world a better place.
The coffee beans roasted in their green-o-vative roastery facility are 100% Organic, Fair Trade, and Shade Grown Coffee. They run their vehicles with plant-based diesel. In 2008, they launched the coffee industry’s first biodegradable bag and even owned up to their mistakes and discontinued it after learning of the negative impact it could have in 2014. Innovation is not always a straight line.
Farmers
Deep respect and admiration for small family farmers who cultivate delicious coffee beans with utmost care is the driving force of Larry’s Coffee. They consider them partners. The journey toward building the first and only Fair Trade cooperative in the US started with a visit to the Mut Vitz cooperative.
Since then, it’s been a mission for Larry’s coffee to help these fastidious and careful farmers who lack trucks to transport their produce and cannot access to their crop’s real-time market value. Larry’s helps them earn a decent compensation for their hard work.
There are over 15 coffee cooperatives from South America, Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia that partner with Larry’s Coffee through Cooperative means. These include the following:
- Union Pro Agro
- Fondo Paez
- Cenfrocafe
- Sol Y Cafe
- Cooperative Mellijones
- Cafe Chajulense
- Cafe Organico Marcala-Comsa
- Cecocafen
- Maya Vinic
- Prococer
- Sopacdi Cooperative
- Sidama Union
- Kodukak
- Permata Gayo
- CPC
Barista Classes
Aside from community partnership and sustainable business operations, another way of giving back to the community that Larry’s Coffee does is offering barista classes. These classes aim to teach aspiring baristas and homebrewers both the fundamentals and the art of making coffee.
Community Support
Teacher Grants
Larry’s Coffee created a new blend that best describes that first-morning sip, the little breaks for a me-time, and the long days giving generously to others. For such momentous occurrences, the Awake in Class is the best medium roasted coffee. Every time you buy a bag of this coffee bean, $2 of each bag will go to the Wake County teacher grant. This grant helps teachers and students fund critical educational projects.
Coffees Offered
If you’re looking for sustainable coffee blends, browse Larry’s Coffee online store or visit their physical store in Raleigh, North Carolina, and be amazed by the selection.
Most Popular Types
Larry‘s Beans Cowboy Blend
The Cowboy Blend is a medium roast that features bold and smokey cup notes with a wide-bodied flavor profile.
The Cowboy Blend is a popular coffee mix combining Indonesian and American beans, featuring a balance of earthy Sumatran flavors and the buttery smoothness of Nicaraguan coffee. It is roasted to a level that emphasizes a full-bodied sweetness without overpowering the complex blend of spicy, roasty, and smoky flavors.
Larry’s Coffee Organic Bolivia
This Bolivian coffee is a caffeinated light-medium roast with a smooth and creamy body with hints of chocolate and roasted almond notes.
This Bolivian coffee features a sweet and clean flavor profile, highlighted by chocolate and roasted almond notes, and balanced with a soft citrus acidity. It is a light-to-medium roast that maintains a rich, medium body, and a smooth, creamy texture. The meticulous artisanal production process, including hand-sorting at the El Alto processing plant, ensures high quality by eliminating defects like withered or insect-damaged beans.
Larry’s Bean El Salvador Dali Blend
The Organic El Salvador Dali Blend is a dark and mellow coffee with hints of caramel, rich chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla notes.
This coffee blend combines Central and South American beans to create a complex flavor profile. It features a full-bodied taste with notes of caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, and vanilla, which are enhanced through a careful roasting process that softens acidity and blends flavors. The coffee offers a unique experience with a lasting finish reminiscent of dulce de leche and a hint of s'mores.
Recyclable K-Cups
Below are the recently introduced recyclable K-Cups:
Larry’s Coffee House Blend
The House Blend by Larry’s Coffee is a medium roast coffee you’ll find when you buy Larry’s House’s 12 CT boxes. It’s a balanced coffee with a rich, smooth body and gentle acidity.
This popular coffee blend, now available in k-cups, is known for its balanced flavor profile featuring a harmonious mix of caramel and chocolate flavors with subtle notes of pepper and tobacco, offering a smooth, gentle acidity and a rich, full body. The roast level is neither too light nor too dark, resulting in a warm, inviting taste with a long-lasting finish.
Larry’s Coffee Decaf Twilight
The Decaf Twilight is a medium blend that is rich and full-bodied with hints of chocolate nutty tones.
This product is a popular decaf coffee blend now offered in a convenient K-cup format, suitable for home, office, or travel use. It aims to appeal to a broad range of coffee enthusiasts, not just those seeking a caffeine-free option. The blend is crafted to satisfy various palates, highlighting its versatility and wide appeal.
More Larry’s Coffee
Larry’s Coffee Variety 3-Pack Bundles
The 3-pack coffee bundles contain 3 packs of 12 oz coffee beans that are vacuum-sealed to maintain freshness. When you buy this bundle pack, you’ll get the Cowboy blend, Mightier Mocha Java blend, and Frenchy French blend.
The Larry's Coffee Bold Variety Pack contains three 12-ounce vacuum bags of organic, Fair Trade, and shade-grown coffee, ensuring ethical sourcing and bird safety. This variety pack, roasted in a sustainable facility in Raleigh, NC, features the popular Cowboy Blend, a rich mix of Indonesian and American coffees; Frenchy French, a uniquely smoky and piquant dark roast; and Mightier Mocha Java, a modern take on the historic blend between Yemen's Mocha and Indonesian Java coffees. These diverse blends cater to various tastes and preferences, emphasizing the brand's commitment to innovative, environmentally-conscious coffee production.
Larry’s Coffee Bean Martin
The Bean Coffee blend is a mixture of organic Sumatra, organic unwashed Ethiopian beans, and organic Bolivia. This blend features notes of berry and bittersweet cocoa. It’s a dark roast for people who love their coffee dark and elegant.
This coffee highlights the unique flavors achieved through blending and dark roasting. It combines the earthiness of Sumatra with the berry notes of unwashed Ethiopia and a dark roasted Bolivia, resulting in a rich, creamy body with chocolate undertones and a lingering sugary aftertaste. It balances the richness of a dark roast with the complexity of flavor.
Larry’s Coffee Secret Espresso #17
The Secret Espresso #17 has a thick and creamy body with delicious notes of dark chocolate. It has a warm, dry finish and is as complex as a boutique whiskey with its refreshing tanginess and acidity.
This product is a carefully curated coffee blend, selected from global sources, including exclusive components from Larry's Coffee. The blend is known for its rich and creamy flavor profile, featuring notes of dark chocolate and toasted tobacco, balanced by a tangy acidity. The roasters are highly skilled and familiar with the roast profile, contributing to the blend's complex and lingering finish.
Larry’s Coffee Frenchy French
The Frenchy French coffee blend has the most unconventional approach to roasting dark roast beans. It is incredibly smokey yet appetizing. Every cup of Frenchy French features a bold, dark, and rich coffee with hints of bittersweet chocolate undertones.
This Frenchy French Roast is made from carefully chosen South American beans suited for high-temperature roasting. The roasting process is slow and steady, ensuring the caramelization of the beans' natural sugars without burning. This method results in an intensely smoky and piquant coffee, distinguishing it from other dark roasts.
Larry’s Coffee Ethiopia Single Origin
The Ethiopia Single Origin is an Organic coffee with a medium body and bright citrus acidity. It showcases cherries, lemon, caramelized apples, and rich chocolate, paired with aromatic floral tones.
This Ethiopian coffee, originating from near Yirgacheffe, is a washed variety known for its clean taste and complexity. It features a rich aroma and diverse flavors including lemon, cherries, caramelized apples, and chocolate, with a light roast that accentuates its classic characteristics. The coffee has a medium body, bold and spicy-sweet notes, and a bright citrus acidity, leaving an aftertaste reminiscent of fine white wine.
Larry’s Coffee Mightier Mocha Java Blend
The Mocha Java blend version of Larry’s coffee has a distinctive medium-heavy body and spicy, earthy tones. Likewise, it has a lingering sweet berry acidity with a chocolate liquor aftertaste.
This coffee blend is a modern interpretation of the classic Mocha-Java blend, combining a bright Ethiopian coffee with a rich, spicy Sumatran. Each type is roasted to a specific level to achieve a sweet and chocolaty flavor profile. The result is a full-bodied blend with hints of caramel, spiced chocolate, and a well-balanced acidity.
Larry’s Coffee Larry’s House
Larry’s House is a sweet-tone coffee blend with an overall balance. It displays caramel and chocolate flavor profiles with hints of tobacco and pepper undertones. It’s a household favorite because it’s a coffee that’s not too light or too dark.
This coffee blend has a well-rounded balance, combining soft sweetness with a hint of delicate spice and a smooth, gentle acidity with a rich body. It features flavors of caramel and chocolate, complemented by subtle notes of pepper and tobacco. The roast level is moderate, contributing to the brew's smoothness, and it leaves a long-lasting, inviting finish.
Subscription
If you want to keep your coffee stash fully stocked, subscribing to Larry’s Coffee Subscriptions will simplify things. The process is convenient and offers a generous discount of 10%. The shipping is $5.95 for single orders, but free for purchases over $75. Subscribing doesn’t require any upfront cost and will only charge you once the order is shipped to your location.
What the Community Says
Alternatives
Here are other coffee brands to consider:
Tiny Footprint Coffee offers a light and smooth body with mild acidity. It features hints of bright lemon and orange with a gentle cocoa finish.
It is USDA Organic, Fair Trade, and Shade-Grown Arabica coffee. Their product is the world's first carbon-negative coffee, funding reforestation which offsets more CO2 than the coffee's production emits.
Teodoro's Italian Roast is a medium-dark blend with a rich flavor profile, including cocoa, roasted nuts, caramel, woody spice, and almond hints.
It's designed for coffee enthusiasts, offering a full-bodied and flavorful experience, suitable for various brewing methods like drip or press pot. The coffee can be enjoyed black or with cream and sugar for a creamier taste.
The Alpha Blend Dark Roast coffee is composed of 100% Arabica beans sourced from Colombia, Guatemala, and Sumatra. It features a rich flavor profile with notes of cocoa, vanilla, nutmeg, and a smoky finish. This USDA Organic-certified coffee also supports a mission to aid dogs in need, aligning with the company's motto "Wake. Brew. Rescue. Repeat."
Our Verdict
Larry’s Coffee’s demonstrable love for coffee, nature, and the community makes this fair trade coffee company genuinely outstanding and inspiring. Their service does not end with delicious coffee blends. It’s just the start.
Larry’s dedication to improving their business model through community service is superb because it provides an endless loop of good deeds for humankind and the environment. No wonder they’re a B-Certified Corporation with flying colors as they focus on making the world a good place to live.
