How We Work

At Dilworth, it all starts with the bean - that amazing, 100% Arabica, happiness-giving, daily kick-starting, internationally exotic, deliciously dark and complex coffee bean. It’s a small unassuming bean, that takes quite the journey from the humble shaded hillside where it’s grown, hand picked, sun-dried, and packed, to being shipped, roasted to perfection, and ground to make each cup of Dilworth coffee. And so, we treat our beans, the farmers and all involved in this journey with REVERENCE, a fundamental ingredient in each cup.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) - sounds so formal, when we are just trying to create a great cup of coffee. And, how can three letters suddenly be so popular. At Dilworth, we have always taken ESG super-seriously and it’s been part of who we are and what we do from day one. Because we know how fragile this coffee ecosystem is and have always believed, at our core, that we have a responsibility to support our farmers and create a truly sustainable supply chain.

Our stakeholders are many in this cycle to keep great coffee and products flowing for us all. From our coffee growers, to the coffee workers, the warehousing to our team of coffee professionals, to the shop owners and their teams of baristas to the consumers and the communities in which we live and work. It takes many to ensure a great cup of coffee now and into the future.

From an Environmental standpoint, we fundamentally appreciate the true labor of love growing coffee is for our farmers, not to mention the huge investment. We work with farmers that employ rigorous sustainability practices, and conform to biodiversity standards outlined by organizations like the Rainforest Alliance, the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification, and USDA Organic standards. They take care of the land they farm by limiting the use of fertilizers and protecting the habitat for animals, and we try to take care of them.


Our Social efforts are based on one word - FAIRNESS. Dilworth, as a company would be nothing without the people that define the brand and the coffee experience. So, for us, respect, trust, integrity and fairness are our guiding principles for who we are and how we work. From the farmers that grow the beans, to our local suppliers, to our employees, to those on the front line brewing each cup, we are dedicated to building long-term relationships, only possible when everyone feels as though they are treated fairly.

Some of our social policies include buying fairly traded coffees, developing “directly traded” buying relationships from as many farms as we can, and working to establish similar relationships in other growing regions. Our work in Honduras serves as the model that we would like to further develop.

For our own employees, we have worked to provide a full compliment of benefits from group health insurance, to company paid time off and other benefits and access to resources. For our communities in which we operate, we support many causes - from trying to recycle or reuse as much of our coffee waste as we can, donating expiring product to local food banks or supporting various local charities in North Carolina.


Lastly, we take Governance seriously, as it relates to the processes and protocols we adhere to as a responsible roaster.

• We are fully compliant with all FSMA requirements including FDA approved Food Safety Plan, GMP, and HAACP protocols.  We are inspected by the FDA and NCDA on a regular basis.
• We are certified Organic handlers by QCS-Quality Certification Services, under the USDA National Organic Program 7CFR Part 205.
• Our coffees are Kosher certified by the Atlanta Kashruth Commission.

For our own internal processes, we have guidelines for the recruiting, hiring and vendor processes to strive that we create a workplace welcoming for all.

See, we told you we take this stuff seriously.