Fair & Square
An interview led by Veronica Grimm with Adam Bonaccorsi of Tree House Coffee Company. THCC donated all proceeds of their “Fair & Square” coffee from March and April 2021 to Glitter Cat to support our Anti-Racism Hospitality Overhaul.
The coffee used in Fair and Square is a Colombian varietal from the Anei Cooperative founded and directed by Aurora Izquierdo. A pillar in her community, Aurora founded the Anei Cooperative as a way to create a sustainable agricultural program and help better the lives of those around her. Through the sales of this Colombian coffee, THCC donated nearly $5000 to Glitter Cat Barista to use for the development of the Anti-racism Hospitality Overhaul program!
Veronica: Okay, first things first - do you have a coffee beer?! Is it delicious?
Adam: We have a wide variety of coffee stouts but our Double Shot series is a Tree House Classic. Double Shot is an imperial stout and features a syrupy base beer that is balanced with a big dose of coffee. Double Shot is brewed with the idea of progression in mind and has seen many iterations featuring different coffees and blends to highlight certain characteristics.
V: We are so grateful that you reached out to have your Fair and Square March release support Glitter Cat’s Anti-racism hospitality overhaul program. You have a pretty long list of charitable organizations you support. How do you decide who to work with?! We’re so thrilled we were chosen amongst this incredible group of recipients.
A: Not only do we align ourselves with companies that share similar values to ours, we are also fortunate enough to have quite a large team which creates more diversity in the ideas and projects surrounding our charitable giving and the organizations we support. Personally, creating space and a voice for marginalized communities in the coffee industry is incredibly important to me so I am happy I can continue these efforts here at Tree House and work with you all, who are really helping drive our industry forward.
V: Tell us a little bit about the transition from beer to coffee. What was the driving force to open up Tree House Coffee?
A: The progression to roasting our own coffee was inevitable. Tree House is a company that values quality and passion. Starting Tree House Coffee Company was the catalyst in moving the needle forward by allowing us to roast coffee in house for our beers. What started as a simple idea to make our beers better has really progressed into something pretty amazing over the past two years and has allowed us to share space and ideas in another industry.
V: What are three things you want people to know about good drinks? Be it beer, coffee, spirits, water……
A: The heart of this question really strikes a chord with a few of our founding principles.
Firstly, Simple is harder than complex. Aim for Simple. Within all our beverages we really try to create a balance of flavors by using quality ingredients and brewing techniques.
Secondly, Eliminate Pretension. Beer, Coffee, Spirits and most importantly water should be enjoyed by all! We strive to do that here by creating a diverse portfolio of beverages. Approachability in the craft industry is incredibly important and allows our guests to be better educated and ultimately more engaged in what we are doing.
Lastly, Smile, Laugh and Show Respect. This is how our products are made and hopefully this is also how they are enjoyed.
V: You’ve made some pretty intentional moves in building Tree House to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. While we saw many brands make commitments and then disappear into the fold, y’all are doing work still. First off, thank you! We all know that racism never takes a break and neither can antiracist actions. Do you have a tip for businesses that need to make or continue changes?
A: For us at Tree House we believe that our loudest voice is through our products, which has allowed us to create change via offerings such as the release of Fair and Square and the associated partnership with you all. Last year at the height of the BLM movement we ran a raffle for a limited number of bottles for our Tree Of Life beer. Raffle proceeds went to the Michael James Jackson Institute for Brewing and Distilling which creates educational and career advancement for Black, indigenous and people of color in the brewing and distilling industry.
V: Anti-racism and equity tie in with hospitality, hiring, business operations….what are a few things you’ve learned that help keep Tree House accountable to itself and its employees and its customers?
A: Tree House puts a constant focus on what we call internal customer service. Our employees are our strongest asset and their happiness and fulfillment is imperative to making the highest quality products and providing the highest quality customer experience. In order to stay accountable to them, we as a company work hard to stay open to getting feedback, being transparent as much as we can, and admitting when we might have stumbled. Always be willing and eager to do better for your employees and that will translate to accountability to the customer as well.
V: What’s next for Tree House? I see you recently opened a distillery?!
A: We did just open a distillery. That has been in development over the past year and just the other week we launched our first product, a Coffee Liqueur called Kola. We are also getting ready to open two more locations in Massachusetts. One, countryside in Deerfield which is in western MA and another right on the beach in Sandwich on the cape.
Veronica P. Grimm (she/her)
Veronica is the Chief Glitter Officer of Glitter Cat Barista and truly wishes that Axel Cat enjoyed the beach as much as she does.
Veronica is also on the US Barista Competitions Planning Committee, a Barista Series and Breville Brand Ambassador, and currently taking a course to become certified in HR.