Counter Culture Coffee was founded in Durham, NC in 1995 by Brett Smith and Fred Houk who met while Brett was in business school at UNC. They first launched a bird-friendly coffee line called Sanctuary Coffee and were one of the first roasters to sell shade-grown coffee.

In 2002, their Durham facility became the first certified-organic roaster in North Carolina on the first day it was possible (based upon the National Organic Program). And in addition to many other accolades, created a Sustaining Environmental and Educational Development at Source (SEEDS) program—to structure and define their monetary contributions to projects that are not coffee-quality-specific, but still benefit coffee-producing partners and their communities.

Learn more about their continuing climb to sustainable and ethical excellence all the way to present day here.

We loved making masks for their employees!

Interested in working with us on your next company mask? Head to our wholesale page here.