Wicked Joe Coffee

Wicked Joe Organic Coffees was founded in 2003 by Bob and Carmen Garver in Topsham, Maine. Bob Garver’s interest in coffee was sparked during his military service in Turkey, where he experienced coffee as a central community ritual. Before establishing Wicked Joe, he operated a coffee company in Santa Cruz, California, for a decade. The couple eventually relocated to the East Coast to be closer to family, where they launched their current operation with a focus on sustainability and community-driven business practices.

The company operates out of a state-of-the-art, GMP and Organic-certified roastery in Topsham. Their facility is designed with a heavy emphasis on energy efficiency, featuring three Loring Smart Roasters, LED motion-sensor lighting, and electric vehicle charging stations. To further minimize their environmental footprint, the company utilizes a solar wall and rooftop photovoltaic panels, while also purchasing renewable energy credits and carbon offsets to neutralize the equivalent of 100% of the facility's electrical usage.

Wicked Joe’s sourcing philosophy centers on building long-term, collaborative relationships with farmers and cooperatives. They exclusively sell coffees that carry certifications such as Organic, Fair Trade, Bird Friendly, or Rainforest Alliance. By working directly with producers in regions including Central America, Ethiopia, and Indonesia, the company aims to ensure sustainable wages and support community-led initiatives, such as those funded by Fair Trade premiums that improve local health, education, and infrastructure.

A core component of their operational model is transparency and direct engagement with the supply chain. The team has documented visits to many of their partner farms, where they have conducted educational workshops on sample roasting, cupping, and brewing. These interactions are intended to foster a deeper connection between the roaster and the producer, allowing farmers to experience the final product of their labor firsthand.

In June 2016, Wicked Joe became a Certified B Corporation, a designation that reflects their commitment to balancing profit with social and environmental accountability. This certification requires the company to meet rigorous standards of performance, transparency, and accountability regarding their impact on employees, suppliers, and the environment. This framework guides their expansion, as the leadership views every increase in production volume as an opportunity to scale their positive impact across their stakeholder network.

Today, the company remains a family-owned and operated entity, producing a diverse range of single-origin coffees, blends, and decaf options. While they have grown from a small local operation to a brand with national distribution, they maintain their headquarters in Maine. Their business model serves as a case study for how mid-sized roasters can integrate industrial-scale efficiency with a mission-driven approach to global agricultural supply chains.