Red Bay Coffee
Red Bay Coffee is an Oakland, California roaster that Keba Konte started in 2014 in a converted garden shed in the city's Fruitvale district, a space he calls the Coffee Dojo.
Read more about Red Bay Coffee
Red Bay says it hires people who have traditionally been left out of specialty coffee, especially people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women and people with disabilities, and it runs a training program for the people who work in its cafes. It also donates coffee and venue space to schools and nonprofits. The company is a certified B Corp, a certification that, by Red Bay's account, covers its pay to producers, its sourcing and its hiring. It has won medals at the Golden Bean North America roaster competition more than once.
Red Bay imports from and works directly with farmers in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, Guatemala, Brazil and Colombia. One partner, the Kamikaze cooperative in Burundi, has members in the Burundi chapter of the International Women's Coffee Alliance. Red Bay says it chooses farms and cooperatives that build sustainability into their business. Browse more coffees from these origins on our African coffee and Colombian coffee pages.
- Based in
- Oakland, CA
- Founded
- 2014
- Coffees here
- 2
- Website
- redbaycoffee.com
History1
- Keba Konte started Red Bay in 2014 in a converted garden shed in Oakland's Fruitvale district, a space he calls the Coffee Dojo.Source: redbaycoffee.com
Roasting and sourcing2
- Roasts at its roastery at 3098 East 10th St., Oakland, which its locations page lists alongside cafes in Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco.Source: redbaycoffee.com
- Calls itself a multiple-time medalist at the Golden Bean North America roaster competition.Source: redbaycoffee.com
Certifications and sustainability1
- States that it is a certified B Corp.Source: redbaycoffee.com
Company and ownership1
- Describes itself as Black-owned and founded, and headquartered in Oakland, California.Source: redbaycoffee.com
Questions about Red Bay Coffee
Where is Red Bay coffee roasted?
Red Bay roasts at its roastery at 3098 East 10th Street in Oakland, California, which is open to visitors on weekdays. Its locations page also lists cafes in Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco, including one in the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Source: redbaycoffee.comHow does Red Bay source its coffee?
Red Bay says it roasts direct trade coffee from smallholder cooperatives across Latin America and Africa, works with women-owned cooperatives and pays producers more than double the market price. Named partners include CENCOIC in Colombia and Sweet Unity Farms in Tanzania, founded by David Robinson, son of Jackie Robinson.
Source: redbaycoffee.comIs Red Bay coffee organic?
Red Bay says its farmers use organic practices and do not use pesticides. Its sourcing page does not state a USDA Organic certification, so check each coffee's listing for a certification before buying it as certified organic.
Source: help.redbaycoffee.comIs Red Bay Coffee Black-owned?
Yes. Red Bay's About page describes the company as Black-owned and founded and says it is led by artist and entrepreneur Keba Konte. The page says Red Bay aims to model equity, ownership and representation from the farm to the cup to the boardroom.
Source: redbaycoffee.com