Three Keys Coffee is committed to making specialty coffee accessible to new demographics

Three Keys Coffee is one of our newest brand partners, and they are a force to be reckoned with! They are bringing specialty coffee to major retailers across the United States, and with their excellent coffee comes curated jazz playlists, a solar-powered coffee-roasting facility and a bevy of coffee education resources for consumers.

Please introduce yourself – what is your role with Three Keys Coffee?

I am Kenzel Fallen, Co-Founder and CEO of Three Keys Coffee. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, I received a BA in economics from Duke University and an MBA in finance from Rice University. After building a career as a management consultant and corporate risk manager in the banking and energy industries, I co-founded Three Keys Coffee in 2019 along with my husband, Tio Fallen. I am a Q-Arabica Grader and wear many hats for Three Keys, primarily focused on business & financial operations as well as strategic planning and growth initiatives.

Tell me about your company. What’s your mission?

Three Keys Coffee is an award-winning family-owned coffee roaster & cafe. Our mission is to connect with our community through music, creativity, and culture, integrating jazz and coffee into a multi-sensory experience. We aim to amplify the perception of coffee by making specialty coffee accessible to new demographics. Our commitment extends beyond profit, focusing on community enrichment, team well-being, and environmental stewardship.

What is the story behind the coffee that Three Keys Coffee sells? What makes it unique? And where is it being sold?

Named after the valves of the trumpet, Three Keys Coffee blends the art of music with the craft of coffee. Our curated playlists, paired with each roast, create a unique, multi-sensory coffee experience. As a woman- and minority-owned business, we take pride in breaking barriers and setting new standards in the coffee industry. We believe specialty coffee is for everyone. We proudly distribute through retailers like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Walmart, ensuring that exceptional coffee is within reach for all.

Named after the valves of the trumpet, Three Keys Coffee blends the art of music with the craft of coffee.

What excites you about Fairtrade? Why did you choose to certify your product Fairtrade?

Our decision was driven by both our customers and our values. We had held on to the belief that we didn’t need a stamp to attest that we paid beyond Fairtrade minimums and adhered to other environmental and social standards in our sourcing practices. However, we have come to realize that seals such as those from Fairtrade International are ways to affirm and solidify that commitment. The Fairtrade Mark promotes trust and transparency for our customers through a reliable and rigorous certification process.

How do you use your business to create a more sustainable and/or equitable world?

Through our sourcing, our packaging, and our manufacturing facility, we strive to be conscious stewards of our environment and community. We are the first and only solar-powered coffee roasting facility in Houston and one of only a handful in the country. We were fortunate to be selected for a grant by Oatly which covered the solar installation, making that a feasible achievement for us. The inclusion of several battery packs allows us to continue operating even during power outages, such as during the recent Hurricane Beryl, which caused our neighborhood to be out of power for nearly a week.

What’s next for Three Keys Coffee? For example, where do you see your company in 5 years? Do you have any Fairtrade hopes and dreams?

We are looking to expand our Fairtrade products to a single-serve product option, and we plan to seek out more partnerships with retailers who can help us share our Fairtrade coffee with a wider audience. We also want to deepen our relationship with the producers that we source our coffee from, specifically through more origin trips where possible, to enhance our connection with the coffees we carefully source, roast, and serve. Equally, we want to deepen our relationship with the people throughout the chain who are influential to the journey from bean to cup.

If you could redesign how the coffee world works to better support farmers, what would you do?

I would want to see more widespread education and understanding of the true price (cost) of coffee. It is seen as a commodity that many are not willing to pay a premium for, regardless of certification. There is a lot of potential to educate consumers about the coffee supply chain and promote more of the respect for the craft of specialty coffee, similar to the respect that we see given to those in the wine industry.

One of the tools you’ve created to support consumer education in this realm is your Flavor Wheel. Can you tell us about it?

Sprudge once called us “one of the most unique, distinctive, and innovative new coffee companies in America right now.” I believe one reason for this is because we reinvented the wheel—the coffee wheel that is! We came up with a new way to describe coffee using musical descriptors such as energetic, nostalgic, or resonant. We stylized it visually in the form of a turntable. With our goal being to reach more people and make specialty coffee more accessible, this is our way of providing a new approach to describing coffee in a fun and easy-to-comprehend manner. We also curate playlists to pair with each of our roasts and have a QR code printed on our packaging that takes customers to their coffee’s matching  playlist.

What’s one thing (big or small) that you’ve learned about Fairtrade since starting to work with us?

My favorite learning thus far has been realizing how incredibly supportive and helpful the Fairtrade team and staff in their partnership with participating roasters. It was a surprise to find such fierce advocates and passionate folks who are rooting for us to succeed and eager to serve as resources to help connect us with the right people and spaces. Everyone we have connected with from the Fairtrade team has been incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Knowing that they are working alongside us to continue to spread the message about the need for fair and equitable practices in sourcing sustainable products helps amplify our own voice as manufacturers in the chain. In short, I’ve learned that we are not alone and we’re all in this together!