Buy Orca or Dolphin coffee from Spirit Bear, help the whales!

At Ocean Alliance we have started a partnership with the Spirit Bear Coffee Company. Spirit Bear is a First Nations/indigenous owned coffee company based outside of Vancouver, Canada.

We have known the folks at Spirit Bear for over five years, and they have been generous enough to support us with the coffee that fuels our team as we go about our work studying and protecting whales.

Spirit Bear Coffee Company takes its name from Moksgm’ol (its name in the Tsimshian people) — the Kermode or Spirit Bear — which is a subspecies of the American black bear. They are called Spirit Bears because of a common genetic variant within the population with a number of animals being white!

We have a lot in common with the Spirit Bear Coffee Company, and that is why we are excited to share news of this partnership. They are committed to sustainability, innovation, and equity in all that they do.

Respect for the natural world is a theme that runs deeply within First Nations’ teachings, and it is something that Spirit Bear is committed to. Over 10 billion single-serve coffee pod capsules are used each year. Spirit Bear is helping to reduce this, by producing 100% compostable coffee pods. These pods are also 100% Certified Fair Trade, and 100% Certified Organic. Furthermore, they donate a portion of their proceeds to social and environmental enterprises.

This spirit of sustainability, equity, and innovation is one which runs deeply through Ocean Alliance.

Of course, as an environmental group, sustainability is at the core of our mission. However, we are also committed to equity in our activities. A huge part of Ocean Alliance’s ethos is working and collaborating with other groups. As our CEO Dr. Iain Kerr says, “We are Ocean ALLIANCE, not Ocean ALONE.” Whenever we work abroad, we always work closely with local researchers, government officials, environmentalists, and journalists.

In fact, in every country we have visited with our SnotBot program, we have left local researchers with a drone, taught them how to use it, and given them simple protocols for continuing the work. It is this part of our work that the Spirit Bear Coffee Company have chosen to support.

Indeed, the SnotBot program is one which typifies this spirit of innovation and equity. Whale science is traditionally an expensive field, drones have the potential to change this. Using drones, researchers around the world can collect data of a quality and quantity that would have cost +$30,000 to collect in the past. By developing these tools, developing protocols for their use, and helping/advising groups around the world set up their own programs, Ocean Alliance is helping to democratize whale science.

Ocean Alliance is happy to officially announce that the Spirit Bear Coffee Company is supporting our efforts through sales of their Orca Dark Roast and Dolphin Decaf coffee.

With any purchase of these coffee styles, Spirit Bear will donate money to Ocean Alliance, which will be used to buy drones to support regional researchers in the countries we visit. Please consider buying this sustainable, compostable coffee. You will be  supporting a First Nations group and Ocean Alliance!

The donation breakdown will be: Per 400g bag – $1 to Ocean Alliance, Per 1kg bag – $2 to Ocean Alliance, Per 24 pods – $1 to Ocean Alliance

Order Spirit Bear coffee here.