We are building a network of diverse retail partners in Appalachia that share FIRSTHAND's vision 

Selling our coffee brewed or bagged offers your business the opportunity to engage in impactful social change initiatives through the emergent solidarity economy framework.  

We offer wholesale pricing and retail related barista services. Please get in touch to set up an appointment with one of our sales representatives to discuss opportunities. 

Coffee Shops

Coffee shops brewing FIRSTHAND offer high quality ethically sourced coffees from around the world. Our selection of FIRSTHAND origins are sourced from small scale coffee farmers around the world, complimenting our signature Nicaraguan Mountain Morning (light), Mountain Midnight (dark) and Solidarity Blend (medium). We also offer a high quality Espresso blend and work with coffee shops to equip and train baristas to serve excellent product to their customers. We also help identify opportunities for profit sharing in their communities, and link your business to a growing network of social enterprises across Appalachia

Retailers

Retailers sell our coffee whole bean or ground directly to customers. We work with your inventory team to insure that the coffees on your shelf are as fresh as possible, and help connect your business to profit sharing and reinvestment through our solidarity economy network.  

Restaurants

Offer your guests more than a simple cup of coffee to finish their meal, one that demonstrates your commitment to local economies,  sourcing ethical products that support small scale farmers and gives back to communities

Community Supported Agriculture Shares

We partner with farmers to incorporate FIRSTHAND into their community supported shares. FIRSTHAND also reinvests a share of its profits into programs that subsidize farm shares for families that cannot afford them expanding livelihood opportunities for local farmers and closing food access gaps along the way. 

Food Cooperatives

Co-ops around the world operate according to the same set of core principles and values, adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance.   

We embrace Principle 6: Cooperation among Cooperatives

"By working together through local, national, regional, and international structures, cooperatives improve services, bolster local economies, and deal more effectively with social and community needs"

University Dining Contracts

In 2013, FIRSTHAND began a fruitful partnership with West Virginia University Dining Services. WVU increased sales across 7 university coffee shops, while lowering their wholesale costs. Profit sharing from these increased margins provided opportunities for students to engage in their food supply chains on campus and beyond. Scholarships offer experiential learning opportunities student members of the FIRSTHAND chapter at WVU to engage with the paradoxes of uneven development and ethical sourcing strategies while working toward with social justice causes on campus, in West Virginia and beyond.