Wonderstate is one of a small group of U.S. coffee companies that has built its entire model around impact and accountability — which includes it’s unique solar-powered coffee roastery. Based in Wisconsin, Wonderstate Coffee operates one of the nation’s first 100% solar-powered roasters and sources 98% organic coffee beans. But what does this mean for consumers, and is the future of American coffee solar powered? To learn more, I chatted one-on-one with TJ Semanchin, Owner, Wonderstate Coffee, who shared what it really means to run a solar-powered coffee roastery in the Midwest.
What it really means to run a solar-powered coffee roastery
“For us, [running a solar-powered coffee roastery] means generating a meaningful portion of the electricity that runs our roasting and production facility right on-site. Depending on the season, the Midwest isn’t the sunniest place, so it’s not about being fully solar-powered every hour of the day. We designed a grid-tied system that offsets a big share of our electricity over the course of the year, over-producing in the summer and under-producing in the winter,” says Semanchin.
The decision started with the brand’s environmental values. Given that coffee relies on a stable climate, the brand felt it an important measure to reduce their footprint when possible. Over time, the decision to move solar has proven to be a good hedge against rising energy costs and made long-term economic sense for the brand.
“Today, our solar array offsets 100% of our roasting facility’s electricity use over the course of the year. We expanded the solar arrays as our use increased with our growth,” Semanchin shares.
Doubling down on sustainability
Despite tight margins, the company still chose to double down on sustainability even in tough economic conditions. “The long-term health of the coffee industry depends on it,” says Semanchin.
“If farmers can’t make a living and the climate becomes less predictable for growing coffee, the whole system breaks down. Paying better prices to farmers and investing in sustainability isn’t charity for us – it’s part of building a viable supply chain for the future.” Choosing to go solar has given Wonderstate a level of predictability around a portion of it’s energy costs for decades. From a sourcing aspect, paying higher prices and building long-term relationships with producers makes these partnerships more stable, even when the market conditions change.
Climate change, however, continues to have a notable impact on the brand’s sourcing relationships.
“We’re hearing about [climate change] directly from farmers,” says Semanchin. “More erratic rainfall, longer droughts, new pest pressures – those things are becoming more common across many coffee-growing regions. It’s affecting yields and increasing risk for small producers. This is the reason we’ve invested in solar, continue to pay higher prices, and have built deeper, longer-term partnerships with the farmers and cooperatives we work with.”
Wonderstate’s other missions
In addition to their commitment to solar-powered energy, the company also takes other measures to ensure fair practices and ethical sourcing. Wonderstate’s profit-sharing program redistributes 10% of the brand’s annual profits to frontline employees, including roastery workers. Plus, the their “B Corp” standing isn’t framed as an achievement, it’s used internally as a framework for how they measure performance, transparency, and growth.
