In a statement online the company described the accreditation as being “worthy of celebration” and said the process had been a long one because of the rate at which the business has been growing.
“This is a pretty big deal for us. To say we’re excited would be an understatement.
“Since we started serving coffee back in 2011, Grind has grown, changed, and evolved a huge amount, but sustainability has always been at the heart of what we do and we’ve always strived to do things the right way… which (annoyingly) often isn’t the easy way.”
Grind has invested in a number of initiatives to help it towards B Corp status, including using compostable coffee pods. All of its coffee pods are made from PHA, which consists of organic matter only, meaning they’re plastic and aluminium-free and completely biodegradable and its whole bean and ground coffee also comes in compostable packaging and is shipped in recyclable boxes.
Grind is also working to have a positive impact on all of its stakeholders, from its employees to the farmers that grow its coffee. The group sources all of its coffee from small-scale farms that implement regenerative agricultural practices and prioritise resource efficiency and support biodiversity.
It says it works directly with growers, ‘maintaining long-term collaborative relationships that guarantee fair pay and high-quality coffee’.
It is also behind the Better Coffee Foundation, a charity set up to undo the damage caused by the global coffee industry.
B Corp is a global certification initiative that assesses businesses based on their entire environmental and social performance, accountability, and transparency.
Based on the B Impact assessment, Grind earned an overall score of 82.5, well above the median score of 50.9 for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment.
The group joins other B Corp certified hospitality businesses including Hawksmoor, Blacklock, Pizza Pilgrims, and Big Mamma.
Scottish Brewer BrewDog also achieved B Corp accreditation but in late 2022 relinquished its status saying that it couldn't meet new measures required for the accreditation.