Jillian Salinas first noticed the lack of female ownership and sustainable packaging in the coffee industry when she started roasting beans in college. Seventeen years later, she launched her brand into over 350 Kroger banners across the states – a brand owned by women and packed in fully compostable bags.
Redondo Beach-based Beach City Coffee is already no stranger to the customers of Whole Foods Market and Walmart. The new expansion takes it one step further: now, customers in Arizona and Colorado can find it on the shelves of Ralphs, Fry’s and King Soopers beyond California. The expansion is “incredibly meaningful” and feels like a “validation for years of hard work,” Salinas said.
“It feels like committing to your values really pays off,” Salinas said. “In the end, it’s not just growth, it’s impact at scale.”
Recyclable versus compostable
Salinas attributed the success to the company’s commitment to sustainability, where she replaces recyclable bags with compostable ones to avoid recycling failures. California struggles with the exact issue: the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that the state recycles plastic at low rates that often land in single digits, according to the state’s waste agency. Salinas realized the problem when she adopted recyclable packages and soon switched to finding a fully compostable solution instead, finally achieving it about a year ago.
“A lot of the cities didn’t actually recycle some of those recyclable packaging. What people were doing was just putting it in the recycling and kind of wish-cycling, right?” Salinas said. “I got really focused on compostable packaging, and I really felt that was the best way to go.”
Going forward, Salinas shared that the company would focus on the Kroger launch with brand ambassadors and sample give-outs.
“I do want to keep the business growing, but in a responsible way where we can really focus on where we’re sourcing still and always focusing on fair trade, organic and compostable packaging,” Salinas shared. “That hasn’t always been easy, but I’m glad we’ve always stuck with our values, because in the end, I feel like that’s why we’re on these shelves.”
