Meet Bethany Garrison | Coffee Roaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bethany Garrison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bethany, what matters most to you?
Of all the things that matter to us, we place the most value on people. Whether that’s the people who drink our brews or those that grow our coffee, we want to treat each person with the dignity and respect they deserve. We noticed that a lot of people were being turned off by “coffee culture” because of the snobbery that can sometimes creep in, and we knew that was something we could rectify in our little corner of the world. Each person who reaches out or finds us as a market should walk away feeling seen and important; coffee should bring us together. In order to make sure the farmers we buy from are treated fairly, we only pay fair trade or better for the beans we roast. Generally, the coffee industry makes most of its money on the backend of the labor train, either by roasting or serving it up in shops. And while that comes with its own challenges, those who hand pick and hand sort in uncomfortable conditions should also benefit from this booming business because THEY matter too. It’s easy to either forget they exist altogether or to pacify consumers with pictures of farmers on the walls of shops and sites and call it even. But if our money isn’t properly paying them for their hard work, then it’s all just greenwashing. And the world doesn’t need more greenwashing. It needs healthy and sustainable farms that lead to healthy and sustainable communities, so that the wealth of this wonderful commodity benefits us all. Our company will stand by this belief, doing all we can to ensure that we’re upholding it on our end, for as long as we’re around.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are a microroastery out of Greenville, South Carolina! We’re different from the other coffee roasting companies in our area because we are the only one that is proudly female owned and operated (even more specifically, it’s stay at home MOM owned and operated!), which is a neat thing to be able to say. In addition to that, we separate ourselves by committing to sustainability, whether that’s through our solar roasting, our compostable packaging, or our decision to only purchase beans that properly support farmers. People have appreciated our honest approach, our down-to-earth conversations and our hope to eradicate snobbery out of specialty coffee. But none of it has been easy. Our company is run by a mom who is balancing homeschooling with a small business and there are hundreds of setbacks built into that. The thing that keeps us going, however, is knowing that there’s a place for a company like ours. A business that jokes a lot, built its’ name and principles out of the satire of “good enough,” but who also cares about people and planet and are good at what we do!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Coffee is important to me, obviously, and I’d have a few shops to visit! Junto has the best atmosphere, but Mountain Goat has the best waffles. Breakfast would be Maverick Biscuit, Maple Street or Biscuit Head (there’s a theme here!) For lunch spots, we’d go to Jack Brown’s for burgers or hunt down Daylight Burritos or Taco Shack food trucks. Dinner would be Tuk Tuk, Lewis Barbecue, or the Lazy Goat if I wanted to be swanky. Drinking would require a stop at Southernside Brewing Company for easy drinks and a walk on the Swamp Rabbit trail, Juniper for a fancy gin bar experience or Jack N’ Diane’s for a piano bar you’d never forget. Basically, Greenville is pretty cool.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Starting and running my own business while being a stay-at-home-mom is only possible because my husband is my partner, both in business and parenting. We work hard to be able to pull off this beautiful little dream together. I’m honored to get to work alongside him.

Website: goodenoughcoffee.org

Instagram: @coffeethatsgoodenough

Image Credits
Justin Nix