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.

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.

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.

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.

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.