Fresh Roasted Coffee's Sustainability Report - July 2025
Welcome to Fresh Roasted Coffee's first Sustainability Report! Each month, we'll share how much clean energy we've generated, how many carbon emissions we've avoided, and highlight some of the other initiatives that help make us one of the cleanest coffee roasters in the United States. Here's the July 2025 snapshot:
Powering Sustainability: July's Energy Impact
In July, Fresh Roasted Coffee's solar array produced 107.602 MWh of renewable electricity, slashing last month's record of 96.981 MWh and setting a new all time high.The increase in energy production is due to an abundance of sunshine and less rain this month, a trend we hope to see continue into next month.
For comparison, 107.602 MWh of energy would
- power 120 average U.S. homes for a month (assuming ~899 kWh per home/month) US EPA
- brew 1.075 million cups of coffee (assuming 100Wh per brew on a standard machine) Silicon Valley Power
Using the EPA’s 2022 national average emissions factor of ~1405 lbs CO₂ per MWh, we have calculated that our facility avoided roughly 75.61 U.S. tons of CO₂ emissions this month by using a renewable energy source for power.
Cleaner Roasting: The Big Picture
Traditional coffee roasting is known to emit a devastatingly large amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. Fresh Roasted Coffee alleviates the majority of these emissions by using Loring Smart Roasters which uses a closed loop system to reduce both energy usage and CO2 emissions.
By utilizing both renewable energy and clean roasting technology, we are setting a new industry standard when it comes to roasting and manufacturing coffee products.
In the month of July, we reduced carbon emissions by a total of 86.82 U.S. tons by utilizing both Loring Smart Roasters and renewable energy sources
- For comparison, 86.82 U.S. tons of CO2 equals
Coffee-Break Science: What MWh and kWh Actually Mean
When we talk about our sustainability practices each month, you'll often see us use terms kWh and MWh. But what do they actually mean, and how do you use them correctly? Here's a bit of caffeinated clarity to help you understand our stats.
What is a kWh?
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy that measures how much electricity is used over time. Specifically, it's the amount of energy consumed by a 1,000-watt (1 kilowatt) device running for 1 hour.
Examples:
- A 100-watt light bulb left on for 10 hours = 1 kWh
- Using a standard electric over to bake a batch of cookies for 30-40min = 1 kWh
- Using a 1500 watt hair dryer for ~40 min = 1 kWh
In short, we you see kWh, think "how much energy did something use?".
What is a MWh?
A megawatt-hour (MWh) is equal to 1,000 kilowatt-hours. This unit is typically used to measure larger-scale energy production, like the output of power plant or, here at Fresh Roasted Coffee, our renewable-energy powered facility.
Examples:
- Powering 2 standard refrigerators for
- = ~1 MWh
- Doing 40-50 loads of laundry in an electric washer/dryer pair = ~1 MWh
- Driving an electric car for 3000-4000 miles = ~1 MWh
So when we say we produced 102.448 MWh this month, we mean that we produced enough energy to drive an electric car around the globe over a dozen times. Isn't that something?
Eco-Friendly Extras: Putting Chaff To Work
Fresh Roasted Coffee doesn't just rely on renewable energy and clean roasting to offset our footprint. Sustainability is built into the foundation of who we are as a company. One of the many ways we improve our environmental impact is by donating chaff, a natural, nutrient-rich byproduct of coffee production, to local gardens and farms.
Coffee chaff is the thin, papery skin that naturally flakes off coffee beans during the roasting process (think the red, papery husk on peanuts). While it's often discarded as waste, Fresh Roasted Coffee has found a way to put it to work benefiting the community and the environment.
When used as a mulch or soil amendment , chaff can help improve water retention, aeration, and organic matter in the soil. It's lightweight, compostable, and rich in nitrogen—making it a great addition to garden beds or compost piles.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Coffee chaff also makes excellent animal bedding , especially for chickens and small livestock. It’s soft, absorbent, and composts easily after use.
By donating our chaff to local growers and farmers, we’re reducing waste and giving this humble byproduct a second life—right where it belongs: back in the dirt.
Looking Ahead
We’re proud of this month's accomplishments - producing over 100 MWh of renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and giving new life to what was once considered waste.
But sustainability isn't a one and done initiative. Its a long-term commitment, one that Fresh Roasted Coffee makes time and time again. We do it because we believe in a world where coffee benefits everyone in the supply chain. We do it because we believe that coffee shouldn't come with an environmental cost. And we do it for you: the customer.
"From the beginning of raw product selection to final customer quality satisfaction through a commitment to sustainability, innovation, and leadership, I’m truly a beyond satisfied customer of a 5-star Pennsylvania company. FRC is now my exclusive GO-TO Coffee and Tea SHOP!"
As we head into August, our goal is to break the 110 MWh mark and continue exploring creative, practical ways to reduce our impact—from production floor to final cup
Thanks for following along—and stay tuned. There’s a lot more brewing.
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