Aerial view of the dean's beans roastery with an extensive array of solar panels on the roof.

Planet

At Dean’s Beans, caring for the planet has always been central to who we are. From the beginning, Dean built the company on a deep understanding of how coffee production impacts the environment and the responsibility that comes with it. That foundation still guides us today. As a worker owned cooperative, we carry that commitment forward with the same dedication to long-term farmer relationships.

FAIR TRADE, ORGANIC, AND SHADE GROWN 

All of our coffees are shade-grown. We know this because we visit the farms, and walk the land with the farmers who grow our coffee. Shade grown coffee supports biodiversity, protects soil composition,  and helps maintain healthy ecosystems. Coffee plants grow beneath a diverse canopy of native fruit and hardwood trees, creating habitat for birds and other wildlife while strengthening the resilience of the farm itself. This way of growing coffee makes a difference for the planet and improves coffee quality.

SMITHSONIAN CERTIFIED BIRD FRIENDLY COFFEE

Three of the cooperatives we work with have taken their commitment to Fair Trade, organic, shade-grown coffee one step further by becoming Bird Friendly Certified through the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. This certification requires a dense, diverse canopy that supports migratory bird habitats and overall ecosystem health.

Our commitment is to coffee grown this way  enriches the environment, rather than just taking from it. We work with farmers and cooperatives in ways that support and strengthen the environments they depend on.

SUPPORTING VIBRANT AND RESILIENT COFFEE ECOSYSTEMS

Healthy coffee farms are part of larger living systems. Shade trees support bird migration routes. Root systems prevent erosion. Diverse plantings improve soil fertility. These are not separate benefits, they are interconnected. And they take time to build. Over more than 30 years we have supported dozens and dozens of projects that strengthen these systems. Our People-Centered Development program has worked to support reforestation and watershed protection as well as advancing organic fertilizer manufacturing, which improve long term environmental resilience.

Learn more here.

DOING OUR PART AT THE ROASTERY

Here at “the beanery” in Massachusetts, we live our commitment to protecting the planet through our operations. 

  • The solar panels on our buildings produce more electricity than we use each month.

  • We use energy efficient Loring roasters that utilize heat recapture, incinerate particulates in the smoke generated by roasting, and use 80% less propane than other brands of commercial coffee roasters.

  • Our packaging is compostable.

  • We recycle 100% of the burlap and Grain-Pro™ bags used for shipping coffee from origin.

  • A local farmer collects and uses all of our chaff on his farm.

WE'RE PROUD TO BE A CERTIFIED B CORPORATION®

Dean's Beans first became a certified B Corporation® in 2018 with a score of 99.
B Corps are companies that use business as a force for good - the very concept we were founded on! In December of 2022 we completed our first recertification for a score of 110. Decent progress.

We’re excited to announce that in 2026, Dean’s Beans recertified again and has earned a B Impact Score of 168.5 in our most recent B Corp recertification.
That score makes us the highest scoring coffee company in the world!

MOVING FORWARD AS WE LEARN MORE

We are proud of what we have built together, and are focused on what comes next. As climate change reshapes regions where coffee grows, we will continue to adapt, invest, and learn alongside our coffee growing partners and other coffee companies committed to protecting the environment. Be the Change.