A Grand Rapids-based coffee company became a member of an initiative that supports environmental advocacy through donations to nonprofits.
Grand Rapids-based Madcap Coffee Company said Thursday, Jan. 27, it now is a member of 1% for the Planet, effective Jan. 1.
As part of its membership in this initiative, Madcap is committing to donate 1% of its annual sales to support nonprofits focused on defending the environment, combatting climate change and conserving water.
To celebrate its 1% membership and to highlight its retail expansion into northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula with the acquisition of Blue Boat Coffee in September, Madcap is partnering with Traverse City-based nonprofit and 1% partner For Love of Water (FLOW) to launch a seasonal Lake Effect winter coffee blend and associated merchandise collection. Ten percent of café and online sales from Madcap’s Lake Effect coffee and collection will benefit FLOW, which is dedicated to protecting and preserving waters in the Great Lakes Basin through education; policy; and solutions to pressing energy, water and climate issues.
“As a specialty coffee company operating with both local and global reach, issues like the environment, climate change and water quality are front of mind at Madcap,” said Trevor Corlett, founder and co-CEO of Madcap. “As an agricultural product, the future of the specialty coffee industry hinges on global producers’ ability to sustainably farm and manage resources. As a Michigan-based company operating near the Great Lakes, we also recognize the importance of not taking our freshwater resources for granted. Up and down our value stream, from the coffee bean to the water we use to brew each cup, Madcap Coffee is committed to doing our part in protecting the environment and the freshwater resources that make our craft possible.”
In addition to its Lake Effect Winter Blend, “a popular seasonal coffee release that combines bright and complex single origins from Rwanda and Ethiopia,” Madcap also is launching a Lake Effect Collection that includes limited-edition water bottles, coffee tumblers, apparel and headwear designed by artist and Michigan native Geoff Holstad.
All Lake Effect merchandise is available exclusively through Madcap’s website, with the Lake Effect coffee available online and in Madcap’s three cafés in Grand Rapids and Detroit.
Liz Kirkwood, executive director of FLOW, said the two organizations are the perfect collaborators.
“FLOW is thrilled to partner with intentional and socially responsible businesses like Madcap that prioritize the planet, producers and community,” Kirkwood said. “It will take great leadership and collaboration from all sectors — business, government, academia, nonprofits, tribal and more — to protect the Great Lakes in the face of the climate crisis. Thanks to forward-thinking businesses like Madcap and other 1% for the Planet partners, FLOW can further advance public policy solutions and engage citizens to secure healthy waters, communities and ecosystems across the Great Lakes for generations to come.”
Madcap said its decision to join 1% for the Planet was informed by its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, which includes three main priorities: planet, producers and community.
By choosing FLOW as its first direct giving partner under 1% for the Planet, Madcap hopes to lean into partnerships that align with its CSR strategy in Leelanau County and northern Michigan, where it recently expanded with the acquisition of longstanding wholesale partner Blue Boat Coffee in Leland in August 2021.
In late spring 2022, Madcap Coffee plans to reopen the former Blue Boat Coffee location as its first fully branded Madcap Café in the region. The new Madcap Café is just across the street from Leland’s Historic Fishtown and Lake Michigan, at 106 N. Main St. in Leland.
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