From coffee beans to community: Worker Bee on International Coffee Day
Every year at the start of October, International Coffee Day makes us think about the full journey behind every cup - from the farmers and growers who cultivate the beans, to the businesses that bring it to your door. It is a moment to think beyond our morning brew and consider the people, places, and decisions that make good coffee possible.
We sat down with Roger McBride, founder of Worker Bee Tea & Coffee - one of our Best of Local producers - to find out what the day means to a Manchester coffee business, as well as talking about their mission to support communities with every cup.
The journey behind Worker Bee
Worker Bee is based in Manchester, and works with specialist partners to get the best quality coffee from ethical growers. From the very beginning in 2017, they've also donated a portion of their proceeds to Manchester-based charities.
Roger explains: 'The foundation of our ethics at Worker Bee is trying to support each other - local independent businesses, local community and charities. From day one we've been supporting Maggie's [Cancer Care] and Forever Manchester. It's all about giving back and bringing people together - and coffee is a really good vehicle for that.'
How International Coffee Day champions fairness and sustainability
International Coffee Day exists, in part, because much of the global coffee supply chain has a fairness problem. Coffee is grown mostly in regions where poverty is high and wages are low, so International Coffee Day was created to recognise the positive steps being made towards a fairer coffee industry.
At Worker Bee Tea & Coffee, the team works closely with suppliers and farmers, and aim to ensure fair pay, ethical working conditions and long-term sustainability. For example, their Wellington Mill blend is proudly triple certified: Rainforest Alliance, organic, and Fairtrade.
'It's all about transparency, traceability and sustainability. I would always rather work with people who have that experience in sourcing coffee, and know it's ethically sourced,' Roger explains.
Building local communities
This journey doesn't end when the coffee reaches Manchester, though. Worker Bee's tea and coffee is stocked by local businesses across Greater Manchester, both by online retailers like Creamline, and brick-and-mortar shops and cafes.
'Our partnership with Creamline makes it easy – we’re both independent businesses and family-run, so we share the same ethics. The whole idea was that I would rather people support the local independents and buy it from there.' says Roger.
Worker Bee is part of our family of Best of Local suppliers, alongside butchers, bakers, greengrocers and other artisan producers from across the North West.
If you head to our Best of Local range, you can shop Worker Bee's ground coffee, tea, and even an indulgent hot chocolate.
