When Chick-fil-A announced in August 2014 that it would offer coffee from the THRIVE Farmers cooperative in all of it outlets nationwide, the cooperative’s members knew that they would no longer be at the mercy of the vicissitudes of global markets and that their lives would be changed for the better.
Global Atlanta earlier this year visited THRIVE Farmers’ chief sustainability officer, Kenneth Lander, at his farm in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica to learn about the cooperative’s overturning the traditional coffee supply chain so that the farmers would receive a larger share of the proceeds generated by the sale of their crops.
Today Global Atlanta is pleased to announce that THRIVE’s accomplishment has been recognized by the Association for Corporate Growth in Atlanta as the fastest growing middle-market company in Georgia on June 23 at a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.
According to a news release, THRIVE Farmers President Tom Mathesen said upon receiving the award on behalf of the company, “Being acknowledged locally for the rapid success THRIVE Farmers has experienced validates our mission and work to change the coffee industry.”
THRIVE Farmers began to transform the coffee industry by developing a unique supply chain by dealing directly with its customers rather than through middlemen. It attributes its growth, according to the release, through the increased demand for a socially sustainable coffee option from corporations and consumers.
Its corporate customers, including Chick-fil-A and just recently the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown hotel, a member of the InterContinental Hotels Group, have fueled its rapid growth due to their increased demand for a socially sustainable coffee option from corporations and consumers.
The release adds that THRIVE’s revenue-sharing model allows the corporate consumers to transform their corporate social responsibility initiatives from annual donations to a fully aligned corporate purchasing model with impact and sustainability as the goal.
The Atlanta chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth praised the company as the fastest growing middle market company in Georgia not only for developing the new business model but also for “contributing to job growth and benefitting Georgia’s economy.”
Michael Jones, THRIVE’s founder and CEO, said “The more successful the growing , socially conscious entrepreneurial economy in Georgia becomes, the more influence we will have on the global economy for the better.”
To purchase THRIVE Farmers’ coffee, click here or visit Chick-fil-A restaurants.