CoffeeSock
Backpacking through Costa Rica in 2004, CoffeeSock Founders Corina and Robert Guillory made what they thought was an innocuous purchase: a Chorreador filter, a traditional Costa Rican coffee-making method, without its customary wooden stand. On its own, the Chorreador filter was a simple fabric bag that worked similarly to a paper drip filter‚ only without the waste. Perfect for backpacking, and perfect for a great cup of coffee! It wasn't until years later, having run out of filters for their Chemex, that it clicked‚Äîthat same style of fabric filter could work just as well as, if not better than, the premium paper ones they were used to buying. Just like that, CoffeeSock was born!
Though the business started small with an Etsy storefront, it quickly grew as waves of positive reviews came crashing in. Soon, they expanded into stores, and things really took off. Now, you can find a CoffeeSock for whatever your preferred coffee-making method is, still handmade by a crew of fun-loving coffee fanatics in Austin, Texas‚ with GOTS certified organic cotton, no less.
Though the business started small with an Etsy storefront, it quickly grew as waves of positive reviews came crashing in. Soon, they expanded into stores, and things really took off. Now, you can find a CoffeeSock for whatever your preferred coffee-making method is, still handmade by a crew of fun-loving coffee fanatics in Austin, Texas‚ with GOTS certified organic cotton, no less.
Reusable, Renewable, Simple
CoffeeSock provides a sustainable and reusable alternative to a wasteful single-use product: paper coffee filters. On its own, that's enough to get our little eco-hearts beating. But they don't stop there. Every CoffeeSock is handcrafted right here in the U.S. and exclusively from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic cotton. That means that not only is their cotton grown without the use of pesticides, it also uses 88% less water and 62% less energy than generic cotton production‚ all while ensuring safe and positive working conditions across the production chain. Their GOTS certification also ensures that all dyes used in their process are safe and toxic-free; in fact, CoffeeSock's dyes actually bind with cotton molecules, becoming part of the fiber and ensuring they won't leach into your morning brew.
Plus, they're economical. Typically, purchasing a CoffeeSock means you'll be paying about a third of what you normally would for a set of premium paper filters, and with every CoffeeSock replacing about 500 filters over its yearlong lifespan, that's a whole lot of savings.
On top of their use of certified organic cotton, CoffeeSock goes above and beyond to ensure that each product is packaged plastic-free, with paperboard packaging that's easy to compost or recycle when you open your product for use. Plus, when you're done with your CoffeeSock filters, thanks to its GOTS Certified cotton, you can comfortably toss it into the compost bin, where it'll decompose within a few months!
Finally, CoffeeSock makes sure sustainability and social responsibility is embedded in their business model. As a member of 1% for the Planet, CoffeeSock donates 1% of sales annually to environmental nonprofits. Currently, purchases benefit Food4Farmers, supporting The Maya Ixil Coffee Cooperative. Through their donations, CoffeeSock helps support beekeeping and sewing projects at the cooperative's farms, and will soon expand to include The Grow Ahead venture, where they will help provide the seeds, materials and education needed to grow food crops, replant the local forests and restore native ecosystems.
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