Marsden-based Dark Woods Coffee has received a prestigious accolade for its commitment to ethical business conduct, securing a Golden Fork at the 2024 Great Taste Awards. These awards celebrate top-tier food and drink brands from across the globe.
This year, 16 Golden Forks were awarded, including two newly introduced categories: Sustainability and Better Business. Dark Woods Coffee was the first to win the Better Business trophy, an acknowledgment of their values-driven approach to running a business, with a strong focus on community and environmental responsibility.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this new Golden Fork award for Better Business,” said Ian Agnew, Director of Dark Woods Coffee. “We make it a priority to consider how our actions impact the environment, our local community, and the global coffee-growing community. Winning this award is particularly meaningful because it recognizes our ongoing efforts to make a positive impact beyond just producing quality coffee.”
The Great Taste Awards are known for their rigorous judging process, including blind taste testing to ensure impartiality. Last year, Dark Woods Coffee was recognized with 22 awards, underscoring their consistency in producing exceptional coffee.
Dark Woods specializes in sourcing and roasting premium coffees from around the world. Their purchasing practices focus on building long-term relationships with coffee producers, either through direct trade or partnerships with established estates and specialty exporters. These relationships, alongside a commitment to quality, shape the company’s sourcing decisions.
Sustainability is at the heart of Dark Woods Coffee’s operations. The company donates 2% of its annual revenue to both local community projects and initiatives that support coffee-growing communities. In addition to paying quality premiums to coffee farmers, the company funds development projects at the source of production, operates a community grants program, and actively works to reduce its environmental footprint by using electric vehicles and eco-friendly packaging.
Dark Woods Coffee’s ethical practices demonstrate that a business can thrive while making a positive impact on the world, serving as a model for other companies in the industry.