Where it starts
Coffee is one of the oldest commodities in the world. It's traded further and wider than almost anything else you'll drink or eat this week. For us, it's a morning ritual. For millions of people who grow it, it's how they survive. And the size of this industry means that fairness to those people has never been guaranteed. 44% of smallholder coffee farmers live in poverty, and 22% live in extreme poverty.
With less than 3% of UK businesses being B Corp certified, we knew there was a lot to be said for companies that actively supported those in their supply chain. We knew we wanted to be one of those companies. But we weren't exactly sure how and where to start when it came to making meaningful impact in the industry.
Uganda changed things
In March 2023, we flew to Western Uganda to meet the communities behind the coffee we'd been buying and selling. We'd read and learnt so much about the coffee industry, but being there first hand was an incredible, life changing experience. It was amazing to understand more about the lives of coffee farmers, and just how much toil and love went into growing exceptional coffee.
But one thing we didn't expect to learn was that some children of the coffee farmers were not able to go to school, and instead were harvesting the coffees. Once we'd seen that challenge happening, before our eyes, we couldn't unsee it.
We came home and knew we couldn't go back to running RISE the way we had before. Not because we'd found something shocking nobody else knew about, but because we'd stopped being able to look away from it ourselves.
So we did something about it, slowly and properly
We started the process of becoming B Corp certified. That meant answering over 300 questions about how we actually run this business, not how we say we run it. It meant gathering data we didn't have readily available, sitting through interviews, meeting security requirements we'd never had to think about before, and doing all of it while still running RISE day to day. It took time we didn't really have as two founders running a fast-growing company!
We were so proud when we got certified. Certification essentially means we put purpose, people and planet before profit. You can learn more about what it means to be a B Corp here.
We are the only B Corp certified Coffee Discovery Club in the UK, and we're proud of that, but it doesn't make us saints. It just means we've done the paperwork to prove what we believe: that anyone in this industry has a responsibility to look after the people growing the coffee, not just the people drinking it.
Alongside certification, we made changes that don't always show up on a label. Every bag we sell arrives by boat, never by air. Our packaging is biodegradable, compostable and plastic-free, with FSC certified paper wherever it's used. We mainly work through Direct Trade partnerships that let farmers earn up to three times the standard Fairtrade price. And through our partnership with Too Good To Go, we've saved over 2,700KG of CO2e that would otherwise have gone to waste.
What we actually want
At RISE, our vision is to create a world where coffee creates a more positive impact, for all. With our Friendly Coffee Fund, we hope to eradicate child labour on coffee farms, worldwide.
The Friendly Coffee Fund™
We launched the Friendly Coffee Fund in March 2023, straight off the back of that trip, when RISE had just 200 subscribers. We didn't wait until we were bigger to start. We give 1% of all our sales revenue, not just profit, from every box and every product, to support coffee farming communities in Western Uganda. We work directly with our partner on the ground, a fellow B Corp called Agri Evolve, to ensure that our funds go to the right place.
If you're new here, this is worth knowing before you buy anything from us. Becoming part of the RISE family means so much more than fantastic speciality coffee arriving at your door. By supporting our business, you're supporting the livelihoods of 1000s of farmers across the globe and over 100 children in Uganda with their schooling.
And if you're already with us, everything below exists because of you.
Who
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We work with Agri Evolve in the Rwenzori Mountain region, Western Uganda, alongside a special projects coordinator and community leaders who get support directly to orphans and underprivileged families.
What
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1% of every sale goes toward keeping children in full-time education instead of working on farms. Right now, that's supporting over 100 children.
Where
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Rwenzori Mountains, Western Uganda. The same region we walked through in March 2023, and the reason any of this started.
When
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From your very first order onward. Not a one-off donation, but something built into how RISE runs, every single day.
Why
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67.7% of boys and 62.1% of girls in Uganda drop out of school because their families can't afford it, at an average cost of just £6 a term. That gap is what we're trying to close.
How you can help
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Every cup you drink helps make this possible. If you're already subscribed, you're the reason this fund exists at all. If you're considering joining, this is what you'd be joining.
We're not stopping here. We have big plans to expand our fund, make it a charitable organisation and scale across the globe...
FAQs
What is B Corp certification?
B Corp certification is one of the most rigorous business standards in the world. To become certified, companies must pass a detailed assessment covering their impact on workers, communities, customers and the environment — as well as legal accountability. Less than 3% of UK businesses are certified. It's not self-declared and it's not permanent — we have to requalify every three years. For RISE it means we've legally changed our company structure to consider people and planet in every decision we make, not just profit.
What is the Friendly Coffee Fund?
The Friendly Coffee Fund (FCF) is our commitment to giving 1% of all RISE sales directly back to coffee farming communities. We partner with Agri Evolve in Uganda who work with us to identify exactly where the money is most needed — whether that's school fees, books, farming equipment or community projects. Every three months we send the funds across and report back on where they went. It started when we had just 200 subscribers, because we didn't want to wait until we were big enough to care.
What does ethical sourcing mean at RISE?
For us ethical sourcing means asking the hard questions before we ever feature a roaster. We survey every roasting partner on things like what price per KG farmers receive, what sustainable practices are in place, and whether gender equality is promoted across the supply chain. We prioritise roasters who work directly with farms — direct trade often means farmers earn up to 3x the standard Fairtrade price. We also never air-freight. Every bag of coffee arrives in the UK by boat, every time.
How does a RISE coffee subscription work?
Each month Alice and Ben personally taste-test and handpick two coffees from two different independent UK roasters. You choose your bag size (2, 3 or 4 bags), your grind type and how often you want it delivered. Your box arrives with the freshly roasted coffee, an 8-page coffee guide, and a little freebie. You're in complete control — pause, skip, change frequency or cancel anytime through your account portal. No contract, no commitment, just great coffee.
Why does RISE only work with independent roasters?
We could have signed one big roaster and made our lives a lot simpler. We chose not to. Independent roasters tend to have closer relationships with the farms they source from, higher quality standards, and more interesting, diverse coffees. They also rarely get the shelf space or audience they deserve. RISE gives them both — and gives our subscribers access to coffees they'd never find in a supermarket. Since 2020 we've worked with over 50 independent roasters across the UK.
