Behind the scenes we've been working hard to find a new coffee and tea supplier who shares our sustainability first ethos, which is why we're thrilled to introduce you to Volcano Coffee Works.
Good news coffee lovers! If you have ever wondered if your regular caffeine fix could help the planet, your Union cafés team and Volcano Coffee Works are here to show you how where you choose to grab your coffee makes a difference, one cup at a time.
Erupting onto campus in April 2025 Volcano Coffee Works believe coffee should do good as well as taste good.
Why have we partnered with Volcano Coffee Works?
Last academic year you bought over 200,000 cups of coffee in our cafés, so it was important to us to find a coffee supplier who shared our sustainable ideals with their practices and products. Enter Volcano Coffee Works.
Volcano are a certified B Corp, meaning they're committed to using business as a force for good, benefiting both people and the planet. When recertifying in 2025 they improved 10 points to achieve 93.1 (a typical company would score 50.9) showing their continuing commitment.
And that's not all, Volcano works directly with farmers and co-operatives, paying their farmers between 50% - 180% above fairtrade price.
They use 100% renewable energy and 85% of their packaging is recyclable plus 50% of their packaging is already being made from recycled materials. Additionally they've dramatically reduced their carbon emissions and offset the rest by supporting environmental projects local to the communities and places where their coffee is grown.
The coffee sold on campus comes from the Brazil where Volcano support the coffee farming system there to work towards eliminating monocrop culture. Elsewhere Volcano Coffee Works also support environmental and social initiatives in their other farming communities such as the Sombra Project or Rebuild Women’s Hope in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Don't forget, while Volcano are helping us make better choices for the planet with their coffee, by choosing to purchase your coffee at a Union Café you're also doing your bit for your student community as every penny spent in our outlets is reinvested back into the Union to provide more support, activities and opportunities for you.
