B Corp

Ripples to Waves: Why Bear Lake Coffee Chose the B Corp Path

March is Certified B Corp Month. Worldwide, there are now more than 10,600 Certified B Corporations spanning 104 countries, 163 industries, and five continents.

Here in our beautiful home state of Wisconsin, just 23 companies belong to the B local Wisconsin community—and Bear Lake Coffee Company is proud to be one of them.

What is a Certified B Corporation?

First, let’s clear the air about what a B Corp is not. It’s not a charity, a special tax status, or a government handout. A Certified B Corporation is simply a regular, for-profit business that voluntarily chooses to be independently evaluated on how it manages the triple bottom line—profit, people, and planet. In other words, these organizations prioritize purpose alongside profit.

Think of it as a rigorous accountability check where an outside organization looks under the hood of the entire company. The goal is straightforward: to demonstrate that the business earns profit responsibly—by providing fair jobs, maintaining a safe workplace, reducing waste, and being accountable to the people and communities it impacts.

This framework is consistent for B Corps around the world. It’s rooted in a shared set of standards applied globally, whether a company is a B Corp in Norway, Shanghai, Vietnam, or Iceland.

Built for the Long Haul

For us, becoming a Certified B Corporation was never about adding another logo to our website. It complements how we operate day-to-day—it’s not just a snapshot in time. Instead, it’s about building Bear Lake Coffee the right way from the beginning and mission-locking our operations. We are structuring this company for the long haul—something that can serve our community, support coffee-growing families around the world, and help build a better system for how coffee is sourced, valued, and enjoyed.

US / Canada Champions retreat 2026 – Ripples to Waves…

In April, Bear Lake Coffee will attend Champions Retreat 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—the flagship gathering of the Certified B Corp community across the United States and Canada. We were invited to participate in a marketplace alongside 36 other purpose-driven businesses to share our story and offer samples of our products. This year’s theme—Ripples to Waves—captures a powerful idea: that small, consistent actions by purpose-driven businesses can grow into meaningful, systemic change.

For a small specialty coffee roaster from rural Wisconsin, being part of the B Corp Marketplace alongside brands like King Arthur Baking Company, Radio Flyer, Tru Earth and Torani is both humbling and inspiring. It’s a reminder that businesses of every size can play a role in shaping a better economy.

Robert F. Kennedy once said:

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal… he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

I believe a simple morning choice can send ripples of change. And when enough of us choose differently, those ripples become waves.

B the Change. Brew the Change.

Sincerely,