55. Eddy Cola: Coffee As A Force For Good

Did you know, coffee consumption in the United States rose by 14% from January 2021 through January 2022, according to the National Coffee Association? And demand for top-quality coffee like organic and fair-trade is on a roll in every region of the world.   Coffee was an important part of my early life for many years, but not for the reasons you may think. I wasn't a consumer, or even the passionate consumer I am today until 2011. From 2002 - 2009 I was a barista at Starbucks, but never drank coffee. At that time, I was just deeply passionate about coffee culture, and how this ritual was impacting people lives. I was so happy to be apart of this 2nd wave, bringing joy into peoples mornings and creating community. It wasn't until I moved to Venice that I became a consumer and in large part I have to thank Groundwork Coffee for that. I'm just happy my entry point into the category as a consumer was with such a premium, organic and great brand.   I recently met Eddy Cola, CEO of Groundwork Coffee Co at a restaurant in Venice. Being as Groundwork was a catalyst for my early entry point into coffee, I was excited to chat with him. Eddy, is a fascinating person and entrepreneur originally from Montreal Canada. His career started in music, both as a musician and talent mamanger and then developed into a management role at his family business, a beef processing company. He joined Groundwork in 2011, and has been on a mission to build this organically gown, fair-traded coffee brand into the 10 retail cafes, two roasters, a brewery (for cold brew/nitro) and the national network of distribution, it is at today.   In this epiosde, Eddy highlights how Groundwork recently celebrated 3 decades in business and went through a recent rebranding. He discusses his guiding principles of conscious capitalizism and how he leads Groundwork into the future as the category and competition continues to grow.   For On The Pass listeners, Eddy and the team are offering 20% off orders made through their website with the code ONTHEPASS20. Get your coffee supply up for the holidays and take advantage of this generous offer.    For more info on Groundwork Coffee Co: https://www.groundworkcoffee.com     Follow Groundwork Coffee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundworkcoffee/?hl=en     Follow On The Pass: https://bit.ly/3BpHckD     Follow our Host, Gabriel Ornelas: https://bit.ly/3hTpONC     Gabriel's Article - Old Road Rum Co: A Brand, A History, A Mission (St. Kitts and Nevis): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/old-road-rum-co-brand-history-mission-gabriel-ornelas/?trackingId=     Lets work together! Get in contact: www.gabrielornelas.com