42 Days Coffee: Black-Owned Fair Trade Coffee Brands Supporting Maternal Health

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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Fair Trade Beans Meet Maternal Health Advocacy

Rodney Thompson and Dr. Crysta Meekins launched 42 Days Coffee in June 2024 with dueling ambitions: to redefine ethical coffee sourcing while combatting maternal mortality. Their model pairs fair trade certifications with a 10% profit pledge to maternal health organizations (Support Black Owned). This synergy reflects what Thompson calls “conscious consumerism with surgical precision.”

The company sources arabica beans from smallholder farms across four continents. Through direct partnerships, farmers receive 37% above commodity prices. Meanwhile, their roasted-to-order process eliminates middlemen while ensuring peak freshness. This vertically simplified supply chain funds the company’s healthcare initiatives without compromising quality.

When Coffee Fights Maternal Mortality

Their brand name critiques the World Health Organization’s 42-day maternal mortality timeframe. Research in Guinea-Bissau found death risks remain elevated for 91 days postpartum (PubMed). This revelation fuels their mission to extend care beyond arbitrary bureaucratic limits.

In America, where Black women face 3.3x higher mortality rates than their white counterparts, their donations target grassroots organizations. These groups tackle systemic gaps, from transportation barriers to implicit bias in clinical settings. Each purchase thus becomes what Meekins describes as “a suture in the fabric of broken healthcare systems.”

From Bean to Bag: Radical Transparency

Their Honduran Marcala region beans exemplify the farm-to-cup philosophy. Growers use ancestral polyculture methods that nurture biodiversity rather than deplete it. This approach yields complex flavor profiles while maintaining soil health for future harvests.

Roasting occurs weekly in microbatches to preserve delicate caramelization processes. Customers receive bags stamped with harvest dates and farmer biographies. Such traceability dismantles commodity anonymity creating what Thompson calls “a relationship in every roast.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.