EMPLOYEE BLOG, NEWSLETTERS

Employee Newsletter 10/24/2022

Posted on by Val Newhouse

CoCo Reflections from Celeste Bayer:

This Week’s CoCo: Create Remarkable Care

I think that creating remarkable care is one of the pillars of SCC. Yes, all the core commitments are pillars of the company, but without striving to create remarkable care, the others are less important. We speak up to our team leader or our coworkers because we want to create remarkable care, we are urgent to the customer because we want to create remarkable care, and we are prepared for our work because we want to create remarkable care. When I think of creating remarkable care, I think of going above and beyond. I think of jumping on flour a little early to help with a rush or restocking your bar fridge for the next person hopping on. These small acts are what make the difference. This is a great way to separate us from other coffee shops too. Customers really can tell when we put in that extra effort. We have a regular at Oconomowoc that was very grumpy for the longest time. When I finally put a little more effort into learning his name and drink (large hot latte, no foam, 140 temp, and skim) by heart and greeting him right when he came in. Since then he has become so cheery and upbeat! This remarkable care can make all the difference!

Next Week’s CoCo: Take Care of Your Coworkers

There are a lot of cool people that work at SCC, so I feel like this commitment can be pretty easy. I think what I find challenging is finding new and innovative ways to take care of my coworkers. I think the classic way is to cover shifts for your coworker if they need (which is such a huge help), but I think this commitment looks like going above and beyond! Maybe that is doing the tasks you know the person you are working with doesn’t like to do or maybe it is doing a few extra tasks to ensure your coworkers open is even more smooth! I am not sure what it is but I think we can always learn to help each other in different ways. I think this means to do things that are unexpected for others! If you know that something big or something important is going on in your coworkers life, do something to surprise them! This shows that you care for them and how they are doing. This bond and connection we make with our coworkers helps us produce this productive, safe, and healthy work environment. I challenge you to think of a new way to take care of your coworker this week and to write a hero card for someone who took care of you!

CoCo Heroes:

  • Create Remarkable Care: This Core Commitment Hero comes from the Cafe Coach Group – Patrick Colbourn, our Tosa Cafes MCC! Patrick continuously flexes between Harwood and Tosa cafes, regularly interacting with customers at both cafes on floor, and always coaches and encourages his coworkers to grow in care. Tosa cafes and team members are regularly shouted out by our customers, demonstrating that they have established authentic connections through Remarkable Care. Patrick actively seeks out new ways to Create Remarkable Care for his team members and coworkers. You’re crushing it, Patrick – thank you!! 
  • Take Care of Your Coworkers: This Core Commitment Hero comes from the Cafe Coach Group – Eva Hagen, our Metro Cafes MCC! Eva seeks out ways to share her knowledge and operational talents with Factory and Downer cafes and incorporates coaching naturally into her role. These two cafes are the most operationally complex in our Retail group, and Eva does a great job collaborating and navigating through unique opportunities to learn and grow! Eva also regularly assists fellow coaches with identifying and executing creative schedule solutions and shows how thinking hard helps us Take Care of Your Coworkers. Way to go, Eva – thank you!!

Going-Ons:

  • SCC Company Update: Did you miss our most recent Company Update? Check it out here.
  • 11/17 Bakery Price Increase: With the Holiday Launch, we will also be implementing a price increase, mostly focused on our bakery. As noted previously, over the past 9 months we’ve seen steep increases in our costs across our product lines, our raw ingredients, our packaging, milk, butter, eggs, shipping, etc. It’s all going up, therefore we also need to raise our prices. We will be raising the prices of a few of our products including bagels, scones, croissants, phat slices, and cold case products. Please look for new price tags with the coming Holiday launch and be sure to swap them out. Tasks will be included in the Holiday checklists. In addition, the Bakery Leadership Team will be responsible for making updates to prices in Live and Square. If you have any questions, please reach out to Hailey – hbarsch@stonecreekcoffee.com
  • 10/31 Halloween: On Monday 10/31, all team members can wear costumes to work! Karen will also be sending a limited quantity of trick-or-treat candy to cafes in your deliveries this week. Use a ceramic bowl or glass jar to hold candy, and offer this to kids of all ages at the register while supplies last.
    • We will not have a costume contest on 10/31 – we are having our SCC Costume Contest during the upcoming TNT instead! Please do check out a few notes below:
    • All health code and food safety guidelines still apply, so no exposed feet, midriff, underarms or dangly things that could get caught or fall off into food or bevs, hair must be tied back, etc.
    • Please refer to your team’s specific health and safety guidelines and ask your team leader if you have any questions about whether your costume is ok to wear during work on Monday 10/31.
  • Seasonal Health & Safety: As colder weather approaches, we enter into the cold & flu season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We Create Remarkable Care through our actions and choices. At SCC, we know that caring for ourselves helps Take Care of Our Coworkers too! See the attached Seasonal Health & Safety Guide for a few reminders, notes and tools to help us reduce the risk of illness and stay safe and healthy this winter. Read more in our Seasonal Health & Safety Guide here.
  • Tour Guide Hiring: We are looking for a Tour Guide to join our team of Factory Tour Guides! If you are geeked out about the farm to cup process of coffee, the history of Stone Creek Coffee, and helping others learn with a high level of hype – this opportunity might be for you! If this sounds like you, please reach out to our Director of Employee Care, Rachel Perik (rperik@stonecreekcoffee.com) for more information! *Friendly reminder that if you have not taken a Factory Tour yet, all employees can take one for free by emailing Teams & People (teams@stonecreekcoffee.com) with the date and time they would like to attend. Tour dates and times can be found in our event scheduling portal, Humanitix. If you are interested in becoming a Tour Guide, but haven’t been on an SCC Factory Tour, attending one will be a great place to start!
  • Donating to Milwaukee Rescue Mission: We are excited to restart our relationship with Milwaukee Rescue Mission! On the evening of 10/31 all cafes will begin gathering donatable bakery products in empty bakery bins, to be delivered back to the Factory. The success of this program requires the careful coordination of our Retail, Driving, and Bakery Teams. The complete process can be found in the documents sent to cafes. Please take special note of what is donatable and what is not as well as which days our bakery will be donated, and which days it should be thrown out.
  • November NSL Workshop Details: Our next round of NSL Workshops are quickly approaching! We are excited to host NSL Workshops in person once again! Attendance is required. Please take a look at your team’s NSL Workshop time and closing details below. Closing signage will be delivered to each cafe ahead of time and should be hung up by the appropriate date below. 
    • Session 1: Tuesday, November 1st at 5pm at Delafield – Oconomowoc & Delafield (close cafe at 4pm, post Closing Early signs on Mon 10/24)
    • Session 2: Wednesday, November 2nd at 4pm at the Factory – Bakery & Production (No early closure)
    • Session 3: Wednesday, November 2nd at 6pm at Downer  – Downer Cafe & Kitchen (close cafe at 5pm, post Closing Early signs on Mon 10/24)
    • Session 4: Thursday, November 3rd at 4pm at the Factory – Factory, Harwood & Wauwatosa Bluemound (close cafe at 3pm, post Closing Early signs on Mon 10/24)
    • Session 5: Thursday, November 3rd at 6pm at Glendale – Shorewood and Glendale  (close cafe at 5pm,  post Closing Early signs on Mon 10/24)
    • Office Staff: Please review the dates, times, and locations above and RSVP to Rachel Perik (rperik@stonecreekcoffee.com) regarding which session you plan to attend by end of day, October 14th.
    • Please reach out to your Team Leader, Karen Strange, or Teams & People if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
  • 11/10 TNT: Mark your calendars! The next Thursday Night Throwdown is November 10th. This TNT is going to be a party- literally, a costume party! There will be two brackets, a beginner’s bracket and an experienced bracket, a Costume Contest, and a Rice Krispie Treat sculpting competition! We’ll be giving away prizes for all of the above! Please note that anyone who has been a barista for less than a year qualifies for the beginner’s bracket. Posters with QR codes will be making their way to cafes in the coming weeks!

Wins & Shout-outs:

Email the Employee Celebration Committee (celebrations@stonecreekcoffee.com) if you’d like to recognize or celebrate a teammate. Or if you want to make a public shout-out, email Val (vnewhouse@stonecreekcoffee.com) to include in the next Employee Newsletter!

Birthdays:

  • 10/24 – Joey Mandarino
  • 10/25 – Dominique Whitney
  • 11/1 – Saragrace Johnson
  • 11/2 – Jester McLaughlin Haralson
  • 11/5 – Gwynn Beversdorf
  • 11/9 – Katie Fariss
  • 11/13 Karen Strange
  • 11/14 – Natalia Duchesneau
  • 11/14 – Payson East
  • 11/17 – Sundance Duchow
  • 11/19 – Kyra Hankins
  • 11/28 – Maelyn Kaczmarek

Anniversaries:

  • Olivia Aponte – 1 year!
  • Monica Brown – 5 years!
  • Emili Butrin – 3 years!
  • Zipporah Caspers – 4 years!
  • Jason Knaak – 1 year!
  • Miguel Martinez – 4 years!
  • Katelin Rockwell – 1 year!
  • Kyle Ryan – 1 year!
  • Litzel Saavedra – 1 year!
  • Arcadia Schmid – 1 year!
  • Vanessa Van Den Elzen – 3 years!

Welcomes:

  • Julia Frank – Line Cook
  • Tyler Retlich – Line Cook
  • Clare Eigenbrode – Baker
  • Kensington Naze – Glendale
  • Emily Gunn – Line Cook
  • Jester Haralson – PM Delivery Driver
  • Madison Schroef – Harwood
  • Isabella Hansen – Oconomowoc
NSL

Job Openings:

Check out our job openings when you click the button below.

view all current openings

Employee Discount Codes:
Please don’t share these with non-employees

  • 20% Employee-Only Website Coupon Code
    • October: Oct22sccemp
  • 40% Employee-Only Mobile App Coupon Code
    • October: Oct22sccemp

Catch up on all of our newsletters, company updates, recipes, and more in our Employee Blog here.

Ways to Speak Up:

Do you want to speak up about ideas, thoughts, and more? Send an email to Teams & People (teams@stonecreekcoffee.com) or use the button below to send a note anonymously.

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At Stone Creek Coffee, social responsibility is a foundational element of our identity. We believe that a commitment to the environment must coexist with other elements of social responsibility for a holistic approach to doing our best for the world and others.

Stone Creek Coffee will regularly audit and identify areas of environmental strength and weakness within the overall operations of the organization.  We will attempt to reduce any negative impacts to air, surface water, ground water, public health, community quality of life, and employee health while producing coffee that is sweet, clean, and juicy. Stone Creek Coffee will strive for continual improvement in pollution prevention while meeting or exceeding all regulations.

Eric Resch, Managing Director
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As a mission-driven company, at Stone Creek Coffee, we believe in serving and enhancing the local communities we live and work in.

We believe that the socially responsible practices we apply daily in our internal operations can proliferate with the involvement of our stakeholders, customers, and our communities. In each community where our employees work and live, we — as Stone Creek Coffee and individual members of the community — actively create opportunities to play a positive role through various initiatives. These initiatives include support of important charitable organizations through monetary and/or material donations, promoting volunteerism, and more.

In line with our mission to be socially responsible, we also commit to the following: 

Serving Local Customers
  • We commit to serve at least 75% local and independent clients or customers. 
  • Local Hiring - As a company that is committed to its local community, at Stone Creek Coffee, we are also committed to local hiring.
  • Local Suppliers - We are committed to using local suppliers when possible.

Eric Resch, Managing Director
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SUPPLIER CODE OF CONDUCT

At Stone Creek Coffee, social responsibility is a foundational aspect of our identity. As such, we expect our partners and suppliers to conduct themselves and their business in an ethical, legal, and socially responsible manner including, but not limited to, their commitment to the environment, their employees, and the community. 

Legal Requirements

We expect that all suppliers know and follow the laws that apply to them and their business, as well as to treat the law as the minimum standard. 

Ethical Requirements - Integrity

At Stone Creek Coffee, we believe in conducting business with integrity and as a force for good. We expect our suppliers to operate fairly and ethically. Bribes, kickbacks, inappropriate gifts or hospitality, or other improper incentives in connection with Stone Creek Coffee are not tolerated. Suppliers are expected to avoid any conflict of interest relating to financial interests or other arrangements with our employees that may be considered inappropriate, and are to work with their own suppliers to promote business conduct consistent with the principles in this Code.

Labor Requirements 

Child Labor and Slavery - We do not tolerate child labor or slavery in our supply chain. Consistent with the United Nations Global compact principles, suppliers should avoid any sort of child labor in the business operations. 

Identification of Concerns - Suppliers are required to provide means for their employees to report concerns or potentially unlawful activities in the workplace. Any report should be treated in a confidential manner. Suppliers will investigate such reports and take corrective action if needed.

Wages and Working Conditions

Working Hours, Wages and Benefits - Working hours for suppliers’ employees will not exceed the maximum set by the applicable national law. Compensation paid to employees will comply with applicable national wage laws and ensure an adequate standard of living. Suppliers are expected to provide their employees with fair and competitive compensation and benefits. Compensation and benefits should aim at providing an adequate standard of living for employees and their families. Suppliers’ employees will be paid in a timely manner. It is recommended that suppliers offer their employees ample training and educational opportunities.

Diversity and Inclusion - Fair and equal treatment of all employees is expected to be a fundamental principle of all of our supplier’s corporate policies. Typical discriminatory treatment takes into consideration – consciously or unconsciously – irrelevant characteristics of an employee such as race, national origin, gender, age, physical characteristics, social origin, disability, religion, family status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any unlawful criterion under applicable law. Suppliers will ensure that their employees are not harassed in any way. Stone Creek Coffee encourages its suppliers to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment while exercising diversity when it comes to their employees as well as in their decisions to select subcontractors.

Health, Safety, Quality, and Security

Health and Safety - In order to provide dignity and respect, we expect all of our suppliers to protect workers’ rights and provide safe and healthy working conditions. We encourage our supplier partners to foster an environment that is inclusive, and free of harassment and discrimination. 

Emergency Preparedness, Risk Information, and Training - Suppliers will make available safety information on identified workplace risks and suppliers’ employees will be correspondingly trained to ensure they are adequately protected. Suppliers will identify and assess likely and potential emergency situations in the workplace and minimize their impact by implementing emergency plans and response procedures.

Quality and Security - Suppliers are expected to have good security practices across their supply chains. Suppliers will maintain processes and standards that are designed to assure the integrity of each shipment to Stone Creek Coffee from its origin through to its destination and all points in between. Suppliers are expected to implement the necessary and appropriate measures in their area of responsibility to ensure that Stone Creek Coffee products, their workable components or raw materials as well as the corresponding know-how do not end up in the hands of counterfeiters or third parties and do not leave the legal supply chain.

Environmental Awareness 

Waste and Emissions - Suppliers will have systems in place to ensure the safe handling, movement, storage, recycling, reuse and management of waste, air emissions and wastewater discharges. Any of these activities that have the potential to adversely impact human or environmental health will be appropriately managed, measured, controlled and handled prior to release of any substance into the environment. Suppliers will have systems in place to prevent or mitigate accidental spills and releases into the environment.

Resource Conservation and Climate Protection - Suppliers are expected to use natural resources (e.g. water, sources of energy, raw materials) n an economical way. Negative impacts on the environment and climate will be minimized or eliminated at their source or by practices such as the modification of production, maintenance and facility processes, material substitution, conservation, recycling and material reutilization. Suppliers will engage in the development and use of climate-friendly products and processes to reduce power consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Preference to Purchase from Local Suppliers and Suppliers with Ownership from Underrepresented Populations - At Stone Creek Coffee, we are committed to our community and the environment. As such, we have a preference to purchase from local suppliers when possible, as well as to purchase from suppliers who support other local suppliers. We also give preferences to suppliers with ownership from underrepresented populations.

Supplier Audits and Record Keeping - In order to make responsible, well-informed business decisions and disclose truthful and timely information to our stakeholders, we expect our supplier partners to maintain accurate and honest records.  In line with this, we expect our supplier partners to do the following: maintain books and records that reflect all transactions in an accurate, honest, and timely way; employ appropriate quality audit and compliance processes for matters such as product and food safety, worker health and safety, and labor and employment; to enable traceability, disclose the location of facilities and known origins of materials upon request/audit.

When screening potential suppliers, we screen for the following:
  1. Compliance with all local laws and regulations, including those related to social and environmental performance
  2. Good governance, including policies related to ethics and corruption, as well as diversity and inclusion
  3. Positive practices beyond what is required by regulations (e.g. environmentally-friendly manufacturing process, excellent labor practices, performance to the Core Commitments, etc.)
  4. Third-party certifications related to positive social and/or environmental performance (B Corp certification, Bird Friendly, etc.)
  5. Local suppliers should be given preference (within 250 miles of Factory)
  6. Suppliers owned by underrepresented populations should be given preference

Jessica Sheridan, Director of Coffee 

SUPPLIER LIST:
Aeropress
Ally Coffee
Alto Cold Brew
Amazon Business
American Solutions for Business
Ascentives
Atlas Coffee
AUI Fine Foods
Badger Distributing of Milwaukee LLC
Bodum USA
Boelter Companies
Britevision Media
BUNN
Cafe Imports
Caravela Coffee
Carmo Coffee
Champaign Coffee Company
Chemex Corporation
Clover Distribution
Complete Office of WIsconsin
Component Design
DWC Specialties
Economy Lamp Co
Englehardt Dairy
Espresso Parts
Evolve Snacking
Exclusive Coffees
FETCO
Flair Flexible Packaging Corp
Genuine Origin Coffee
Good Land Supply Co
Gordon Food Service
Grandstand
Gravity Marketing
Great American Spice Company
Greco & Sons
Green Bay Packaging
Halo Soap LLC
InterAmerican Coffee
Kallas Honey Farm
La Marzocco USA
Long Miles Coffee Int Ltd
Magellan Promotions, LLC
Marich Confectionery
Meadowlark Organics
Milwaukee Candle Company
Natures Flavors
NKG (Neumann Kaffee Gruppe)
notNuetral
Occhetti Foods
Olam Specialty Coffee
Omanhene Cocoa Bean Co.
Online Labels
Orchard Street Press
PBFY Flexible Packaging
Plant Guru
Polaris Specialty Coffee
Premium Water
Rishi Tea
Rockline
Royal Coffee
San Miguel Single Origin Coffees (Green Power Trade Inc.)
Sassy Cow Creamery
Shared Source Coffee
Sleeve A Message
Spice House
Sysco East Wisconsin
Tapped Maple Syrup
Terra Spice
The Chai Company
The Chef's Warehouse
Tony Machi Fruits & Vegetables
Uline
UNFI
V. Marchese
Valley Bakers
Volcafe
 
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ANNUAL BENEFIT REPORT 
Fiscal Year 2020
1/1/20-12/31/20
  Benefit Director - Eric Resch

Owners (owning >= 5% of the shares of the benefit corporation): Melissa Perez, Eric Resch

Letter from Benefit Director

Social obligation is a founding principle of Stone Creek Coffee and acts as an ethos for our business. With this obligation comes responsibilities and commitments. At Stone Creek Coffee, we are committed to keeping those commitments. In line with this, this past year, we became a benefit corporation with the state of Wisconsin by amending our articles of incorporation in order to further promote and uphold this commitment. 

As a benefit corporation, we are required to share a Benefit Report at the end of each fiscal year that outlines the work we have done, as well as any potential drawbacks or challenges we have faced, to work towards the specific benefits we have committed to serve. Though 2020 was full of challenges as we all lived and worked through an unprecedented time, we are humbled by the progress we made and continue to make towards creating benefit for our community, the environment, and beyond. We are profoundly moved by the continued work and assistance of our stakeholders to achieve these goals, as well as to create new ones. We look forward to the work that lies ahead of us in 2021. Together, we are better.

On we Go.

- Eric Resch, Benefit Director, Managing Director and Co-owner

Introduction
Stone Creek Coffee officially became a benefit corporation with the State of Wisconsin on June 5th, 2020. A benefit corporation is a legal entity that formally commits to serving general and specific benefit(s) to the public and the environment by writing social and environmental values into their articles of incorporation. At the end of each fiscal year, benefit corporations publish an annual report that outlines what they have done to serve these benefits, as well as any challenges we have faced in the course of doing so.

Specific Benefit Purposes in Our Bylaws

The purposes for which Stone Creek Coffee’s benefit corporation are formed are as follows:
  1. To create a general public benefit.
  2. To create the specific public benefits of: 
    1. Providing individuals or communities with beneficial products or services.
    2. Preserving the environment.
  3. To do any and all other lawful activities or business permitted under the laws of the United States, Wisconsin, or any other state, territory, or nation.
    
Major accomplishments:
  1. Became a benefit corporation with the State of Wisconsin.
  2. Officially kicked off our ‘Brewing Change’ initiative, which speaks directly to our commitments to provide stakeholders with beneficial products or services and to preserve the environment. 
  3. Implemented formal policies across the company that benefit our stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, community) and the environment. These policies are listed more specifically in the section, Stone Creek Coffee’s Efforts to Create Public Benefit.
  4. Completed the B Impact Assessment as our third-party standard to assess our performance to our commitments, as well as to guide our work. The B Impact Assessment is a free, comprehensive, and transparent tool for assessing overall corporate social and environmental performance. 
     
Challenges:
By and large, the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for us as a company and as individuals. However, rather than allowing the pandemic to become a hindrance to our mission to create benefit, we used this difficult time as an opportunity to pivot our business, as well as take on more projects that seek to benefit our stakeholders, the community, and the environment, which is clearly outlined in the following sections. 

Stone Creek Coffee’s Efforts to Create Public Benefit:

Governance
We updated our Articles of Incorporation with the State of WI and officially became a benefit corporation. Being a Benefit Corporation formally demonstrates our commitment to the public and the environment.
 
Workers
  1. Drafted and shared formal SCC Breastfeeding Policy to support lactating employees across teams, no matter their position, location, or employment status. (Officially added to the Employee Handbook in 2021.)
  2. Maintained insurance costs for hourly employees, keeping in line with our commitment to make healthcare accessible for our employees.
  3. Formed our Employee Council. This group consists of one representative from each of our cafes, bakery, and production teams at Stone Creek Coffee. This representative is nominated by their team to meet with Eric, Managing Director and Co-Owner, every other month to discuss items that can be improved within their work spaces or the company as a whole as it relates to day-to-day operations. Specific work items generated through the Employee Council include but are not limited to: requesting mental health days as an added benefit, exploring expression of personalities through more flexible dress code and music choice in work spaces, updating shift drink benefits to include non-dairy products, increasing our vegan and gluten-friendly food menu, greater access to coffee equipment for cafe teams, such as a third espresso grinder, improvements to employee training and access to online HR and benefits tools, and added opportunities to celebrate employees, such as on their birthday.
  4. Employees paid in full during COVID-19 shutdown in order to guarantee wage security. 
  5. Social Justice Donation Matching: Over the course of Summer of 2020 and in line with Stone Creek Coffee’s social obligation to our community, all employee donations made to social justice organizations were matched by Stone Creek Coffee. Employees were encouraged to make donations to local social justice organizations making change in our community such as Wisconsin Voices and MKE LGBT Community Center.  Over the course of the summer, 21 employees donated $5,077.46 to different social justice organizations across Milwaukee and the US that were matched by Stone Creek Coffee. Together, with our employees, we have donated $10,154.92.
  6. Increased amount of paid sick time for all employees (16 hours/year)
     
Community 
  1. Donated food and beverage items to employees during COVID-19 shut-down.
  2. Supplier Screening Topics implemented across the company. This premade list of screening topics serves to better screen our potential suppliers to ensure that they do things such as: follow all laws, possess good governance practices, gives preference to local suppliers, and more.
  3. Supplier Code of Conduct implemented across the company. This document outlines how we expect our partners and suppliers to conduct themselves and their business in an ethical, legal, and socially responsible manner including, but not limited to, their commitment to the environment, their employees, and the community. 
  4. We made a formal commitment to our local community and hiring. In doing so, we have committed to serving our local community by making a commitment to serve local customers, hire locally, and choose local suppliers when possible.
  5. We made available a list of our significant suppliers on our website.

Environment
  1. We began monitoring and recording our energy use via a master spreadsheet.
  2. We began monitoring and recording our waste production via a master spreadsheet.
  3. We made the switch to renewable, wind-powered electrical energy at all of our facilities. 
  4. We implemented a Hazardous Waste Disposal Policy across the company.
  5. We implemented an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy. 
  6. We implemented a Travel Policy Addendum which limits corporate travel.
  7. We made a formal policy statement about our commitment to the environment.

Customers
  1. COVID-19 Shut-down Donations: To keep all of our employees and customers safe, we shut down our cafes in mid-March due to the spread of Coronavirus. Since we weren’t going to be serving customers and our cafes held perishable products, we donated them to local food pantries and shelters around Milwaukee and Lake Country. Donations included hundreds of gallons of milk, fresh bakery items, bottled beverages, and more.
  2. Social Justice Donations: In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement happening across our country and the tragic murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other innocent people around our country, Stone Creek Coffee donated $2,000 to the Equal Justice Initiative and Radio Milwaukee and their ‘Community Stories’ initiative to help them tell our history.
  3. 10,000 Thank You’s for Teachers and Staff: The 2020 school year looked different for many of us. We understand the challenges that regularly come with teaching, but 2020 came along with more barriers to overcome. To show our appreciation for those members of our community, we committed to make this donation. By the end of 2020, we donated 5,724 pounds, although this project is continuing into 2021 until it is seen through completion. As of March 4th, 2021, we have donated 6,726lbs. 
  4. 1,000 Pounds of Coffee: Stone Creek Coffee partnered with local food banks in March and April 2020 to donate 1,000 pounds of coffee to those in need in our community. In addition, Stone Creek Coffee highlighted community resources and food banks on our social media platforms to spread awareness of assistance available to those in need and to potential volunteers that were willing to help out. 1,000 pounds of coffee was donated to five Milwaukee area food banks including Hunger Task Force and UW-Milwaukee Food Center and Pantry.
  5. Neighbor Loaves: Stone Creek Coffee utilized its unused oven time and our many talented bakers to give back to our community via the Neighbor Loaves program. By purchasing Neighbor Loaves, freshly baked bread was donated directly to the Riverwest Food Pantry. We partnered with the Artisan Grain Collaborative, Meadowlark Organics, and Lonesome Stone Milling to make this program happen. We sold, baked, and donated 711 loaves of bread for the Riverwest Food Pantry. In 2021, we are continuing and expanding this project to a “Buy a Loaf, Give a Loaf” program in our cafes.
  6. Community Fridge Milwaukee: Stone Creek believes that a cup of coffee has the power to heal. In this spirit, we are now supporting the Milwaukee Community Fridge. Each month, a donation of 30, 2.25oz fractional packs of coffee is donated to the Community Fridge. This is an ongoing project.
  7. Community Coffee Donation Boxes: Stone Creek Coffee takes pride in supporting organizations that make our community a better place to live, work, and play. Our goal is to extend deeper within communities in which we operate, by partnering with and supporting organizations that share our values and goals. Stone Creek Coffee offers donations of brewed coffee and gift boxes for raffles. We do not make cash donations unless we are closely involved with an organization. Groups that take priority are non-profit 501c3 organizations, local schools, youth organizations, and businesses we regularly work with. Stone Creek donates a minimum of 9 gift boxes (valued at $40) each month. 
  8. Bake the Vote: Bake the Vote is an international bake sale effort under the Bakers Against Racism banner to raise money for organizations working for fair elections. Our Bakery team made and donated pastries to this citywide bake sale, and proceeds from the sale were donated to Wisconsin Voices, an organization “supporting creative ways to mobilize and empower people across the state.” Our Bakery team made 100 fruit galettes that were donated.
  9. Love your Parks: To support Milwaukee County Parks and their ‘Love Your Parks’ campaign, Stone Creek Coffee teamed up with our friends at Milwaukee County Parks to create a half pound bag of coffee called Love Your Parks. $2 of every purchase of this short run coffee was donated to Milwaukee County Parks. We sold 1,706 bags of Love Your Parks and were able to donate $3,413 to the Milwaukee Parks Department as part of this Brewing Change collaboration. Our goal was to sell 500 bags of Love Your Parks coffee and donate over $1,000 to our County Park system, but with our customers’ support, we surpassed that goal. 
  10. Rally for Ally: For each half-pound of the short-run coffee Rally for Ally sold, Stone Creek would make a donation to the Alyssa Anna Pape Endowment Fund. We were able to donate $956 to this fund, which helps support the Herma Heart Institute at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
  11. Participated in Dressember: Human trafficking is a global problem, which doesn’t exclude Milwaukee. Dressember is now a global event where you commit to wearing a dress or tie everyday in the month of December. For every pound of coffee sold on December 4th, 2020, Stone Creek donated $1. In total, we raised awareness for human trafficking as well as donated $397 to the Dressember movement.
     
We look forward to continuing to benefit those around us in 2021! 
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