Tony’s Coffee ‘Sea to Sky’ blend is sold nationwide supporting Grounds for Health

In collaboration with Sprouts Farmers Market, Tony’s Coffee created a custom blend that is now on the shelves in over 300 Sprouts locations nationwide. The sale of this coffee goes directly to our women’s health programs in Nyeri County, Kenya and Sidama Region, Ethiopia.

Tony’s Coffee has supported Grounds for Health since 2016, when they first heard about our work on a coffee sourcing trip in Kenya. While visiting, Andrew Bowman, Tony’s Director of Coffee, met Dr. Michael Chung at the Ministry of Health in Nyeri County. Dr. Michael Chung has been based overseas for nearly 20 years implementing global health programs in Africa and Southeast Asia. In 2016, 3.1 million women aged 35-49 were at risk of developing cervical cancer in Kenya, and when Dr. Chung mentioned our cervical cancer prevention programs in Nyeri County, Tony’s immediately jumped on board to help.

After that trip—with thanks to seed funding from Tony’s Coffee, Atlas Coffee, Bennett’s Coffee, Coda Coffee, and Peet’s Coffee—we were able to fully launch our Kenya program. Six years later, we are expanding in Nyeri county and have begun our innovative HPV self-testing method in order to screen more women with increased efficiency.

The ‘Sea to Sky’ blend is a creamy, hazelnut-forward coffee from Central and South America. According to David Yake, Tony’s Director of Sales & Sustainability, after the roast profile was dialed in, they had a naming contest among their team. “Deavyn, a member of our marketing team, came up with ‘Sea to Sky’, paying homage to the breathtaking drive from Vancouver to Whistler, British Columbia,” he said.

After hearing its origin story, and receiving a bag from David at our office in Vermont, I decided to bring it along to my annual camping trip in Westmore, Vermont. We may not have access to the sea, but Lake Willoughby is our version of ‘Sea to Sky’. Lake Willoughby is 370ft in depth and makes it one of the deepest glacier lakes in the Northeast USA. It brings thousands of visitors each summer to enjoy its rocky cliffs and crystal-clear (and freezing!) water.

‘Sea to Sky’ is coffee you take on your next big adventure: it’s easy to pack, easy to drink and it supports women at origin. I enjoyed a cup each morning, watching the white caps hit the shoreline and thought to myself: It isn’t just coffee. It’s an entire industry that directly impacts the health and wellbeing of thousands of farmers—the majority being women. The fact that we can make a difference based on what coffee we bring on our next adventure, is a beautiful thing.