March is B Corp Month 

B Corp Month is all about the B Corp community—a generation of businesses using commerce as a force for good across industries, regions, and cultures.

B Lab is the certifying organization that ensures B Corps meet high standards in social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Backyard Beans became a certified B Corp in June 2024!

At Backyard Beans Coffee Co., our mission has always been to create an exceptional coffee experience, locally and globally.  We believe this starts with responsibly sourcing high-quality beans, roasting them to perfection, and preparing every cup with care. Furthermore, we want to invest in the people who make this possible and the world we live in. This commitment strengthens relationships, fosters community, drives innovation, and supports sustainability. 

In becoming a B Corp we’ve made public our commitment to sustainability, equity, and community well-being. In addition, we are now part of a group of like-minded leaders and corporations that help drive this global movement: a collective effort to redefine success in business by prioritizing social and environmental impact.

What is B Corp?

A certified B Corporation is a purpose-driven business that uses commerce as a force for good. Businesses earn certification after a thorough audit by a third-party nonprofit (B Lab), ensuring they uphold environmental and social integrity. B Corp certification affirms a company’s commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. 

Our Journey to B Corp

In late 2023, we embarked on the journey to complete the B Impact Assessment, aiming to achieve the necessary score for certification. This assessment evaluates every aspect of our operations, from governance and labor practices to our products and environmental policies. Companies scoring 80+ earn B Corp status. We are proud to have achieved a score of 82.7!

The journey to certification required us to take a hard look at every part of our business. The process involved over 250 questions spanning five key impact areas: 

• Governance - leadership practices, transparency & accountability
• Workers - working conditions & workplace culture, compensation & benefits
• Community - social engagement & philanthropy
• Environment - Climate impact, energy use, sustainable practices
• Customers - product sustainability, customer satisfaction, ethical marketing
  

It was a time of learning, reflection, and implementation. We strengthened transparency with our long-standing partners, wrote and improved policies to drive accountability, worked closely with importers to better understand how they support farmers, and highlighted sustainable practices already in place. At the same time, we identified areas for improvement—such as café sustainability—and took action.

What B Corp Means for Backyard Beans

Being a B Corp means more than earning a badge. It means joining a global community of businesses dedicated to building a more sustainable and equitable future. And it means continuously improving—pushing ourselves to think bigger, act bolder, and create lasting positive impact for our employees, community, and the planet. 

At Backyard Beans Coffee Co., we believe success is about more than profit—it’s about purpose. Becoming a B Corporation represents our commitment to leading with integrity, inspiring others to act, and helping to build a better world for generations to come. 

What’s Next?

Being part of this movement has allowed us to consider our current impact and how we can improve in the years to come, with certification renewal required every two years. We continuously evaluate our impact and plan for growth. We are part of a generation that desires business to be used as a force for good. This growing movement drives change, empowers businesses, and fosters responsibility toward the environment, workers, and communities. Because of this, we have decided to begin releasing an annual impact report. This report will not only increase transparency with our customers but also help us gain a more comprehensive understanding of how we can improve year after year. Be on the lookout later this year for our 2024 annual report!