Texas A&M business graduate students created the Good Ag Coffee Company to provide specialty coffee to the community while donating all proceeds to Camp Kesem.
Good Ag Coffee can be found at Aggieland Outfitters or at What’s The Buzz Coffee, a local coffee roaster which partnered with the team to create the Aggie-themed specialty coffee.
Team member Jorge Daura said in addition to selling their product, Good Ag Coffee aims to help customers learn more about the beverage.
“Good Ag Coffee makes the coffee of Aggieland, and we are excited about this opportunity because we offer specialty coffee to our customers,” Daura said. “Our job is to expand the coffee drinker’s market and at the same time teach them new ways to brew that coffee.”
Daura said the company offers three flavors marketed for Aggies — Ring Day light roast, The 12th Bean medium roast and Midnight Yell dark roast.
“We love what we are doing because we all drink coffee and we think this is a specialty market here in Aggieland,” Daura said. “Because who doesn’t want to wake up to Aggie coffee?”
Team member Turner Roberts said the opportunity to cater to the A&M community with specialty coffee is an important aspect of the business.
“It’s really cool that its associated and geared towards Texas A&M, because this is a premium coffee and we’re serving a premium customer: Texas A&M Aggies,” Roberts said. “We want to brand it so that Aggies everywhere see our coffee and feel at home.”
Roberts said the company chose to donate their profits to Camp Kesem because it’s an important organization in the community with a good purpose.
“It is a local non profit that helps children whose parents are directly affected by cancer and it sends children to a week-long camp setting where they can have fun and take their minds off things,” Roberts said. “Camp Kesem is already affiliated with Texas A&M, and we all believe in helping kids. It’s something we can all get behind.”
Team member Taylor Lombardi said the company reflects many of the values and traditions that Aggies take pride in.
“Selfless service is a big one and we are all very passionate about Camp Kesem,” Lombardi said. “We all take a lot of pride in Texas A&M, and we wanted to tie a lot of traditions with our coffee and find the traditions that we thought spoke to Aggies and fit with our coffee.”
Team member Sholi Song said their company has been successful since its inception in August because of the support they received from the community and local businesses.
“Relying on the Aggieland network was important when we started,” Song said. “It’s a scary thing because you don’t know how it’s going to go, but everyone in the community has been so receptive and wanting to help and listen to us. … We really appreciate that.”
Lombardi said people who buy the coffee should value that they’re receiving premium, locally roasted coffee that supports their community.
“You’re not just buying a coffee, you’re donating to Camp Kesem,” Lombardi said. “You’re supporting a local business, you’re supporting local students, you’re supporting the local economy.”