Fresh Roasted Coffee's Sustainability Report - March 2026
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Time to read 2 min
Welcome back to Fresh Roasted Coffee's monthly Sustainability Report!
Spring is starting to show up here in Pennsylvania, and with it comes longer days, stronger sunlight, and a noticeable lift in solar production. After the slower winter months, March gave us a welcome boost and a great reminder of how seasonal shifts play directly into renewable energy generation and Fresh Roasted Coffee's Sustainability goals.
Let’s take a look at how the numbers shaped up.
Powering Sustainability: A Strong Start To Spring
In March, our solar array generated 68.038 MWh of renewable energy, marking a solid step up as we transition out of winter and into sunnier months.
Using the EPA’s national average emissions factor, that production helped us avoid approximately 47.80 U.S. tons of CO₂ emissions.
To put that into perspective, 68.038 MWh of energy could:
- power 76 average U.S. homes for a month (assuming ~899 kWh per home/month) US EPA
- brew 680,000 cups of coffee (assuming 100Wh per brew on a standard machine) Silicon Valley Power
After a long stretch of shorter days and unpredictable winter weather, this kind of increase is exactly what we look forward to each year. As we move deeper into spring, we expect that upward trend to continue.
We used the EPA’s 2022 national average emissions factor of ~1405 lbs CO₂ per MWh, to determine that our facility avoided 32.3 U.S. tons of CO₂ emissions by using a renewable energy source for power.
Cleaner Roasting: Built into Every Batch
While solar energy gets a lot of the spotlight, sustainability inside our facility is just as important.
In March, our team roasted 264,259 lbs of coffee across our Loring Smart Roasters. Thanks to their closed-loop, energy-efficient design, that production avoided approximately 14.94 U.S. tons of CO₂ emissions compared to conventional roasting methods.
Clean roasting isn’t something we turn on and off. Sustainability is built into every batch. Each roast contributes to a more efficient process that reduces emissions and boosts sustainability without compromising quality.
The Combined Impact
When you put it all together, the results speak for themselves.
- Solar avoided: 47.80 U.S. tons
- Clean roasting avoided: 14.94 U.S. tons
Total CO₂ avoided in March: 62.74 U.S. tons
For comparison, that equals
That’s a meaningful impact for a single month and a direct result of combining renewable energy with more efficient roasting technology.
Coffee-Break Science: Why Seasons Matter for Solar
If you’ve been following along with these reports, you’ve probably noticed a pattern. Solar production dips in winter and ramps up in spring and summer..
That’s because solar output depends on:
- Daylight hours
- Sun angle
- Weather conditions (especially cloud cover and snow)
March is typically the turning point. As days get longer and sunlight becomes more direct, energy production starts climbing again and so does our ability to offset carbon emissions.
This seasonal variance is why sustainability at Fresh Roasted Coffee isn’t just about one system. It’s about how all of our initiatives work together.
From renewable energy generation to efficient roasting technology, each piece plays a role in reducing our overall footprint all year long. And as production scales, those efficiencies scale with it.
That means every pound roasted and every kilowatt generated contributes to a bigger picture. One where sustainability is part of the process, not an afterthought.
Looking Ahead
March brought a strong rebound in solar production and continued consistency in our clean roasting efforts. With longer days ahead and more sunlight on the horizon, we’re optimistic about what the coming months will bring.
We’ll be watching the numbers closely, and as always, sharing them with you along the way.
Because good coffee should do more than taste good. It should do good, too.