Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT Background Coffee Company!
Three questions with Jim McCaffrey and Phil Ambrosino, owners of Background Coffee Company.
Why did you start your business?
We started our coffee business to sell freshly roasted specialty coffee and do some good in the background. My friend and I started this business because we have always loved coffee and shared so many road trips where coffee was the spark to great conversations and ideas. We both were also inspired by companies such as Bombas, Tom’s Shoes, and others that have used their profits to give back to society in a meaningful way.
We started small by donating $1 per bag of coffee sold and would donate in $200 increments to charities we felt a strong connection with. After about two years of bouncing around from charity to charity, we decided to focus our donations on pediatric cancer. Currently, 50% of our proceeds go to Infinite Love of Kids Fighting Cancer an NJ-based charity with a local CT chapter. Most recently we were able to donate $1,000 to them with the help of our amazing customers. Currently, Jim McCaffrey (co-owner) is vice president of Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer & I joined their board in 2023.
This video goes a great job summing up where we have been and where we are now. Watch it here.
What is your best-selling product/service?
We offer blended coffees and single-origin coffees, both of which are always 100% specialty coffee. Our blend names are a call to our mission to help raise funds for pediatric cancer and our single-origin coffees focus on the story of the origin, producer, and process.
Our other best-selling coffee is our dark roast blend Bellringer. This blend is made from Sumatran coffee and will give you the full flavors of cocoa, dark cherry, and a hint of toastiness. The name of this blend is a hat tip to the moment when a cancer patient’s treatment cycle is over and upon leaving the hospital they get to ring a bell. Bellringer is a celebration of that moment.
Have you "reimagined" your small business?
We are always looking for ways to increase our impact. My friend and I started this business while holding down 9-5 jobs. We would like to increase our wholesale customers to show more people how delicious specialty coffee can be and raise awareness (and funds) for pediatric cancer research. We would love for local businesses that serve coffee to consider switching to our coffees and help do some good in the background.
Jim and Phil would like to nominate Fairfield School of Music to be featured next!
Visit Background Coffee Company online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook, and Instagram pages as well!
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!