The Private Label Conundrum: A Trust Gap in the Coffee Aisle

Private labeling in the coffee industry refers to the practice where a business sells coffee under its own brand name, even though the coffee itself is sourced, roasted, and packaged by a third-party supplier.

It’s an appealing model. The barrier to entry is low:

• Small businesses can launch with minimal investment
• MOQs are low
• No need for expensive equipment
• Scaling is fast
• Product lines expand easily
• Market entry is frictionless

Private labeling has proven profitable for countless online, retail, and wholesale coffee brands. And let’s be honest, it’s been a lifeline for many roasters, providing steady business and broader reach.

So… long live private label! May these businesses and the roasteries they support be blessed.

Why Private Label Isn’t for Truista

So… is private label the right model for Truista?

Unequivocally, uncompromisingly no.

Here’s why: you can’t truly know what you’re buying from certifications and lab tests alone. While many large-scale roasters operate with integrity, there are always a few bad eggs. This isn’t an indictment of the coffee industry, it’s an indictment of people who refuse to play by the rules.

In over thirty years in coffee, I’ve seen it all:

• Soybeans roasted alongside coffee to cut costs
• Beans shoveled off the floor 
• Conventional coffee stuffed into certified organic burlap bags at origin
• An entire shipping container of Kenyan coffee bags filled with sand
• Companies sued for labeling coffee as Kona with no Kona in the bags

And then there was the time I uncovered a fraud involving “Women’s Cooperative Coffee.” No women were involved. The cooperative owners vanished under a cloud of indictments and scandal. It was a mess draining, disheartening, and unforgettable.

These experiences shaped my philosophy about how I want to contribute toward the growth of Truista coffee. 

The Cleanest Bean the World Has Ever Seen™

Our promise isn’t just a tagline. It’s a non-negotiable commitment to full control of the coffee value chain from seed to cup.

This isn’t about outsourcing trust. It’s not about hiring auditors or checking boxes. It’s about being there, in the fields, in the kitchens, in the conversations.

It’s about sitting at their kitchen tables, sharing meals and stories. It’s kicking a ball with their kids, hiking the steep rows of coffee trees, and exchanging techniques passed down or discovered across continents. It’s about listening, really listening to their challenges, their ideas, and their vision for what coffee can be. This is connection beyond commerce. It’s a collaboration rooted in respect. We want to be there for the long haul. We help fill the gaps that inevitably arise. We invest in community development not as charity, but as partnership.

We know the coffee is organic because we’ve discussed fertilizer and insecticide strategies in detail. We know it’s mold-free because we’ve walked through their drying protocols and understand the precision they follow.

Managing the value chain is no small feat. It takes:

• Relentless travel
• Late nights and early mornings
• A thousand conversations in a dozen languages

But it’s the only way to truly know what you’re getting.

And honestly?

It’s a lot of fun.