Wholesale Coffee Distributor’s Sustainable Coffee Shop Tips

Every coffee shop has its own story, and for many, sustainability is an important chapter. These days, customers are paying closer attention to their environmental impact, and they want to feel good about something as simple as their daily coffee. For over 30 years, Dilworth has been more than a supplier of coffee, syrups, and dry goods—we’ve been the trusted wholesale coffee distributor to coffee shops like yours. Along the way, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t when it comes to creating greener, smarter business practices. Whether you’re just opening your doors or looking to make some changes, we’re here to share a few helpful tips.

Reusable Cups are Coffee Sustainability 101

If you’ve been into a modern coffee shop lately, you may have noticed the sustainable trend of customers bringing their own washable cups into the shop. The barista would take your order as usual, but instead of a ceramic mug or paper cup, they’d fill your favorite mug or tumbler with your coffee order. Not only does this help the coffee shop use less paper goods, and less water running the dishwasher, it also lets the customer bring a bit of home into their third space.

But, like everything, there may be some potential problems with this. An obvious concern for the coffee shop owner with this practice is hygiene. You never know what a customer is going to bring behind the counter with their cup. You could have a practice where you wash every cup before you use it, but then you’re still using water, and it’s a waste of time, especially on a Saturday morning.

So, if you know the customer, and can ensure that the reusable cup is clean, then carry on! If not, perhaps stick to ordering compostable paper cups from your wholesale coffee distributor, which are another great way to serve sustainable coffee.

The Complexities of Buying Fair-Trade Coffee

Coffee is a commodity, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be sustainable. Buying Fair-Trade beans from a trusted wholesale coffee distributor are potentially a great way for your shop to support sustainable farming practices. Fair-Trade sounds good in theory—how could giving money directly to the farmer not be good?

The answer to this question is complicated. Because of how coffee beans are cleaned, milled, and shipped, unless a roaster wants to get into the business of milling and producing their own green beans, some middlemen between the farmer and coffee shop are required. Of course, there are certain mills in certain countries that take advantage of farmers, but it’s the case frequently that farmers need middlemen. Often Fair-Trade coffee is a great thing for farmers, but the devil is in the details when it comes to labels like Fair-Trade.

Reducing Waste to Protect Your Profits

For shop owners, waste is a huge profit loss to your business. If a barista is throwing away 2oz of milk with every latte they make, over the course of a year that’s around a $2,000 loss in product. Now, that may not seem like much, but combine that with possible losses of bagels, napkins, straws, syrup, paper towels etc. You could be losing up to ten thousand dollars in various products ordered from wholesale coffee distributors over the course of a year.

Good, consistent, operation training is the only thing that can fix this. You or a manager you trust must be on the ground daily establishing good habits, setting good standards, and holding expectations high. Sustainable coffee only becomes a reality when pursued consistently.

Composting Coffee Grounds for Sustainability

Another way to re-use and recycle in a coffee shop is by making use of the product that a coffee shop goes through the most: coffee! Old grounds make a great compost additive.

From Kym Pokorny at Oregon State University, “When using grounds in the compost bin or pile, layer 3-parts leaves to 1-part fresh grass clippings to 1-part coffee grounds by volume. Coffee filters can be thrown in, too. Turn once a week and monitor for moisture and the compost will be ready in three to six months. The composition of the compost pile should not exceed 20% coffee grounds by volume, or it can be toxic to plants.”

If you have a customer who you know loves to garden, or if you know of nurseries in your area who compost, save your grounds and donate!

More Tips from Your Local Wholesale Coffee Distributor

Sustainability is a journey, and every coffee shop has its unique challenges and opportunities. At Dilworth, we offer more than just coffee supplies—we’re your partner in creating a thriving, eco-conscious coffee shop. If you’re ready to explore tailored strategies and expert insights, our consulting services are designed to help aspiring and established shop owners take the steps to realizing their dreams.

Reach out to us today to get the conversation going!