This Coffee Company Donates 5% of Its Profits to Support at-Risk Youth, So You Can Give Back with Every Cup

That caffeine habit has finally come in handy! (Besides benefiting your body. ICYMI, waking up with a mug each day offers some serious health benefits.) Thanks to this coffee business with a mission, you can now give back with each and every mug.

Almost exactly two years ago, Pernell Cezar Jr. and Rod Johnson launched BLK & Bold, a roastery and wholesaler of specialty coffee, with a distinct goal: "to make purpose popular." Cezar's personal, perked-up relationship with coffee began in college, when he dozed off in a meeting and his supervisor suggested a cup as a snooze solution. A little more than a decade later, a bold business idea bloomed from that moment: BLK & Bold—the first black-owned, nationally distributed coffee brand.

Cezar partnered with his pal Johnson (the pair that grew up down the street from each other in Gary, Indiana), and since day one, BLK & Bold has been donating 5% of wholesale proceeds to end homelessness, support at-risk youth and prioritize workforce development. Those funds support causes both locally, in the company's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, and nationally in communities that BLK & Bold products are sold.

Their specialty coffee comes from premium, fresh-roasted, Fair Trade certified and sustainably sourced beans. Teas are also thoughtfully sourced and range from Darjeeling loose leaf to matcha powder. All are now sold online and at select Target and Whole Foods Market locations to ship far and wide—a big leap from the small roasting operation first launched in Cezar's garage in 2018.

A coffee stout was the bridge to a bigger business. They partnered with a local brewery to make a custom brew, then installed a commercial-grade roaster at Fox Brewing.

That allowed BLK & Bold to roast enough beans to supply local coffee shops and restaurants, area supermarkets, their online shop and now Target and Whole Foods. We've tried a couple of their coffees ourselves and can vouch for their rich and smooth results. And your soul will love it just as much, knowing that a portion of your java is going to support great causes.

For a gift that keeps on giving—and to never run out again— you can subscribe to have a consistent supply of your favorite coffee beans or tea leaves delivered to your door. Or gift a care package to dad to surprise him with a Father's Day gift he'll actually use this year (not knocking that tie or anything…).