This locally owned coffee brand aims to support domestic abuse survivors with every purchase

Jelissa Burns, Appleton Post-Crescent
·3 min read

APPLETON - Paul Wisneski, partial owner of New Morning Coffee Roasters in Appleton, started his journey to give back to victims of domestic abuse over 11 years ago.

In 2011, Wisneski was invited to Honduras to judge the national coffee championships. During the visit, Wisneski came across a unique coffee farm run exclusively by women.

After speaking with these women, Wisneski learned that the women had all been survivors of domestic violence and partnered together to work on the farm after leaving their abusive relationships.

"It was just one of the most amazing experiences of my life," Wisneski said. "These women were so strong and determined and really doing something that was completely radical, to leave their abusers and go out on their own."

Jim Ver Voort, left, co-owner of Great Lakes Beverage, and Paul Wisneski, co-owner of New Morning Coffee Roasters have partnered to create a coffee bean line that they source directly from a farm of women in Honduras. Part of the proceeds from the purchased coffee goes back to the coffee farm and another portion goes to domestic violence victims in the US. New Morning Coffee Roasters imports and roasts the coffee and Great Lakes Beverage distributes it. They are pictured here at New Morning Coffee Roasters located at 3600 E. Vantage Drive Wednesday, Dec. 21, in Appleton, Wis.

Wisneski partnered with Jim Ver Voort, a partial owner of Gary's Old Fashion Mix, LLC, to create and distribute Caferoz Coffee, which officially launched in October, domestic violence awareness month.

Caferoz Coffee sources their coffee beans directly from the women-run farm in Honduras. The women are given a fair price for their beans and additionally a portion of the sales are donated to The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Denver, Colorado.

"I made a promise to them that day that I wanted to someday import their coffee, and now we're doing that," Wisneski said.

Gary's Old Fashion Mix, located in Freedom, recently purchased Great Lakes Beverage, a drink distribution company which handles juice, coffee, bag-in-box soda and soda equipment. The acquisition will allow Ver Voort to assist Wisneski in the marketing and distribution of his new coffee brand.

"(Wisneski) discussed Caferoz with us and they weren't selling it anywhere retail, so we took his idea and decided together to repackage it, recreate it, we actually came up with three different varieties of it," Ver Voort said. "Then, because of our previous experience, we knew how to approach the retail game."

So far, Caferoz Coffee has three different blends: Breakfast Roast, a light roasted blend; Dulce's Blend, a medium roast named after the owner of the farm; and Vanilla Kiss, a vanilla flavored light roast. All blends are 100% Arabica beans.

The name "Caferoz" is a combination of the Spanish words for "coffee" and "fierce" — "café" and "feroz."

New Morning Coffee Roasters has three different blends in the Caferoz line so far called Dulce's Blend, Vanilla Kiss and Breakfast Blend and they are working on getting the line in grocery stores. The product is pictured here at New Morning Coffee Roasters located at 3600 E. Vantage Drive Wednesday, Dec. 21, in Appleton, Wis.
New Morning Coffee Roasters has three different blends in the Caferoz line so far called Dulce's Blend, Vanilla Kiss and Breakfast Blend and they are working on getting the line in grocery stores. The product is pictured here at New Morning Coffee Roasters located at 3600 E. Vantage Drive Wednesday, Dec. 21, in Appleton, Wis.

"I thought these women were just a fierce group, so I wanted to combine those words to kind of represent what what I found those women to be," Wisneski said.

Ver Voort said that although Caferoz isn't sold in any major retail or grocery stores, the coffee line can be found om at least a dozen local shops.

While giving back to the women on the farm is very important to the business partners, supporting domestic abuse victims is very important to both Wisneski and Ver Voort.

"I think we all know, women, unfortunately, who have been affected by sexual violence or domestic violence, and I just think it's a great cause to give back to," Ver Voort said. "We're just men, and we don't experience it firsthand the way women do, but anything we can do to give back to show that we care."

Wisneski said this project is one he's most proud to be involved in.

"These women were just so incredible and so strong, it's just really personally satisfying to be able to support them," Wisneski said. "But also when you support women owned businesses, especially in struggling economies, a higher percentage of those profits go back to help their own families and their communities in those countries, so it's something that we can do that's really simple just buying and having a cup of coffee in the morning."

Caferoz can be purchased online on Gary's Premium Cocktails' website or in person at these local shops:

  • Niemuth's Southside Market in Appleton

  • Jacob's Meat Market in Appleton

  • Sal's Foods locations in Green Bay, Black Creek, Wausaukee

  • Super Ron's Food Center in Pulaski

  • Charlie's Country Market in Shawano

  • Freedom Foods in Freedom

Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-226-4241 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Caferoz Coffee donates proceeds to domestic abuse survivors