bridge city

BUILDING VALUE AND HOPE IN PEOPLE THROUGH COFFEE

we are changing the game!

Bridge City is proud to be an “impact, for-profit” business. This means that we have the heart and mission of a non-profit but the self-sustainability and strategic approach of a for-profit. Bridge City has woven positive impact, community support, and taking care of our people, no matter the cost, into the fabric of who we are since day one.

Profit is not the goal. It is fuel for accomplishing our mission: improving our employee’s lives in ways that overflow to our customers, thus improving the communities and cities we operate in. We believe this is the way business should be done.

our 3-tier model

Our business model is based on 3-tiers. We firmly believe we cannot sacrifice integrity in one area for security in another. It might seem simple, but we are redefining the meaning of “for-profit” by proving that businesses don’t have to compromise their values to be successful or their quality to make an impact.

  • We use an approach called relational sourcing, which goes beyond just purchasing a commodity from a supplier. It is accomplished by getting to know the farmers as individual human beings, letting them educate us on how we can best partner with them based on their unique needs and desires.

    We are honored to work closely with many amazing farming communities around the world! We have 3 specific “partner farms” we source from. Our unique relationship allows for a trust to be built on both sides. We are purchasing coffee that has been sown, harvested, and processed in an ethical way. Relationship also allow for exciting opportunities like experimental coffee processing techniques, personally knowing the farmers and their families, and getting to visit the actual farms our coffee is grown on.

    Visit our Relational Sourcing page to learn more.

  • Our staff development and training focuses on three core values. These values are a key part of helping us build value and hope in people through coffee.

    GROWTH MENTALITY - The belief that you can continually improve yourself by pushing outside your comfort zone to learn from failures rather than letting them define you. This takes courage and humility.

    ACTIVE EMPATHY - Treat every person like they matter, because they do. Give people the chance to be understood and embrace differences rather than letting them divide.

    PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE - Excellence in the small things leads to excellence in all things. The choice to pursue excellence reflects the excellence in each individual.

    Visit our Employment page to learn more.

  • Community Impact is central to who we are, but is often in the background. We believe that in order for our impact to be authentic, we must cultivate an effective and functioning internal impact. Only after we have that are we able to move into the community and invite others in. There are three primary ways we move into the community.

    1. Our physical shop locations: this is where the tangible manifestation of our relationship with the community begins. We treat our customers like they matter, because they do. As our customers understand and embrace their worth, we begin to transform the city.

    2. Being a Bridge for our Non-Profit Partners: many non-profits are doing amazing work, but they can’t do it all (neither could we!). We aim to pick up where are partners leave off by providing a work environment for their participants which continues cultivating life skills and a belief in their intrinsic value.

    3. Financial & Resource Support: we engage the community around us by providing financial support and training and though sharing the resources we have. This looks different depending on what we have to offer and what a partner needs, but the heart of any engagement in this realm is relational, not transactional. The primary way we do this is through the Bridge Fund Collective.

    Visit our Community Impact page to learn more.

the bridge fund collective

The Bridge Fund Collective focuses on a holistic approach to employee care through providing the support needed to help retail and service industry employees navigate what life brings their way. Ranging from mental and physical healthcare to emergency financial assistance, our approach not only addresses crises, but also provides long-term support and care our employees.