St. John of God - Holy Grounds Coffee
Coffee has long been a medium for connection, a way to bring people together over stories, ideas, and shared experiences. For Holy Grounds Coffee, a coffee roasting company operated by St. John of God Community Services in Westville, New Jersey, this connection is taken to a new level—providing meaningful work and empowerment to adults with special needs. Luke, the project manager, shares how their partnership with Bellwether Coffee has been instrumental in creating a mission-driven coffee program that serves their community in profound ways.
“Ryan’s Blend Will Always Taste Like Ryan’s Blend” - Freshness and Quality, Rooted in Connection
From the moment the green coffee arrives to the packaging of the final roast, the adults working at Holy Grounds are involved in every step. Luke explains, “Our coffee bags have their names on them. They’re ingrained in the design of the bag. Quite literally, they’re part of the company.” This intimate involvement guarantees control of the roasting process and freshness, besides making every cup of coffee a story of connection.
This level of control is especially important for their client-designed blends, such as Ryan’s Blend, named after one of their clients. Luke shared how Ryan was involved in every step of creating his own blend: “We set up a coffee cupping with four different coffees. Ryan tasted them all, and within minutes, he knew what he liked. He even designed the label, featuring Godzilla looking over a city because of his love for the character. “Ryan’s Blend will always taste like Ryan’s Blend because of the automation and precision the roaster gives us,” Luke emphasized.
With Bellwether’s electric and ventless roasters, Holy Grounds ensures that their coffee maintains a consistent quality. The combination of quality and meaningful impact keeps customers coming back. Luke emphasizes how their specialty coffee provides more than just great taste. “Our main coffee blend is called Do Good. It’s a specialty, it’s good. Not only are you doing good by purchasing this coffee, you’re supporting something so much larger, supporting your local community.” Each cup is a testament to their clients’ involvement, their commitment to quality, and the fresh, bold flavors their customers have come to expect.
“One Bag of Coffee Isn’t Just One Job”- Economic Empowerment
Holy Grounds began as a solution to a problem. With seasonal jobs like rolling t-shirts for the 76ers drying up, they needed year-round opportunities for their clients. Coffee roasting became the answer. Luke shares, “We created Holy Grounds Coffee so we could provide part-time employment. They do everything from unloading green coffee to roasting and packaging it,” Luke shares. “One bag of coffee isn’t just one small job for somebody. One purchase really is 5 to 10 jobs that are created.”
Bellwether’s economic model supports this vision and its impact has been game-changing. By saving 30-50% on coffee costs compared to wholesale and simplifying the roasting process, Holy Grounds can invest more in their clients and explore new revenue opportunities. “Right now we’re fully online in the e-commerce, and we also have one retail location in Grocery Outlet,” Luke explains. “We have a full retail cardboard display that shows our mission because that’s our driving selling point in these stores. That’s how we differentiate.” Luke emphasizes their larger vision: “Our main goal is to grow and get into more retail stores because every sale, again, is one extra bag that our client gets to do.”
By roasting in-house with Bellwether, Holy Grounds has slashed costs and boosted efficiency. This allows them to reinvest in their programs while delivering high-quality coffee at a competitive price point.
“It Made It a Lot Easier to Roast” - Accessibility and Technology
At Holy Grounds, making coffee roasting accessible is as critical as the coffee itself. Bellwether’s technology empowers this mission by eliminating barriers. “Another big reason why we went with Bellwether was the simplicity of roasting the coffee,” Luke explains. “It made it a lot easier not only for us as managers but also for the clients to roast by just clicking on an iPad in the older Bellwether version, and now on the new screen in the Shop Roaster. It made it so simple for them.” Bellwether’s user-friendly system ensures that even complex tasks, like selecting roasting profiles, are simplified. For instance, Luke has been working on renaming coffee profiles to relatable symbols like pumpkins or bicycles, ensuring clarity and ease for his team. “In the Shop Roaster, we have a lot more access to the actual roasting profiles to just change the coffee names with code names the clients can connect with,” he shares.
Before upgrading to the Shop Roaster, Holy Grounds considered exploring other roaster options. However, they found that Bellwether’s electric and ventless automation, along with its easy installation, was the clear choice. “We didn’t want to go to a warehouse with a gas roaster. All those things wouldn’t work for us,” Luke explains. Since installing their new Shop Roaster, Holy Grounds has experienced a transformative change. The roaster allows them to handle multiple batches with minimal oversight, refine their roasting process, and enhance the overall experience for everyone involved. “It’s been a big difference,” Luke notes. “It has been nice. People can just load up the coffee and let it roast. [...] Now we have a better handle on things and a better process of how we even roast the coffee, which has been good.”
Consistency has been another crucial improvement. By embracing technology, Holy Grounds has made coffee roasting an inclusive and reliable experience. Luke describes the moment they first roasted on the Shop Roaster: “They’re cool to the touch.” He adds, “I have noticed that [the beans] coming out cooler has helped with their consistency, as they cool more evenly.” This consistency ensures a dependable product while making the roasting process more efficient for their team.
“I Love Going On The Green Coffee Marketplace” - Sustainability in Action
For Holy Grounds, coffee is more than just a drink; it’s a way to connect with the world. “Coffee is such a community builder,” Luke reflects. “It’s something grown thousands of miles away that touches hundreds of hands before it reaches us.” Bellwether’s commitment to sustainability resonates deeply with this ethos. “We couldn’t hold ourselves up as a nonprofit doing all these great things and then purchase coffee produced with unethical practices. That was a big reason why we went with Bellwether,” Luke shares. “I love going on the Green Coffee Marketplace and reading the stories behind the coffees we purchase—and we add that to our website because customers identify with it.” By highlighting the stories of the farms they partner with, Holy Grounds connects customers to the broader coffee community, ensuring every sip has a story.
Luke adds “We love to feature women-owned farms and organically grown coffee. Even when farms aren’t certified fair trade, we know they’re fairly and ethically sourced, and we love to tell our customers about them.” From sourcing ethically traded beans to reducing their carbon footprint with electric roasters, Holy Grounds delivers on their mission to “do good for yourself by doing good for others.”
Coffee With a Purpose
Holy Grounds Coffee stands as a testament to what’s possible when technology, sustainability, and a purpose-driven mission align. By transforming coffee roasting into a vehicle for empowerment, Holy Grounds offers adults with special needs the chance to contribute meaningfully while showcasing their talents. Customers not only enjoy exceptional coffee but also become part of a broader story of inclusion and impact.
As Luke puts it, “Coffee is not only a community builder worldwide, but it’s much more. We’re touching the hearts of all of these clients who have been the biggest supporters of this program.” Every batch roasted with Bellwether’s innovative technology reinforces their commitment to quality, sustainability, and community. Through their efforts, Holy Grounds Coffee is reshaping the coffee industry, offering a cup as meaningful as it is flavorful.
