Coffee group Grind gains ethical B Corp status

Coffee brand Grind is the latest in a growing number of hospitality businesses to achieve B Corp status.

The business, which runs 14 London sites alongside a retail arm, has gained the accreditation two years after it first applied.

B Corp was founded in 2006 with the aim of inspiring people to use their businesses as a force for good.

It has grown to a network of 8,000 companies worldwide that have been independently audited on their ethical standards and commitment to bring benefit to shareholders, workers, customers and the planter.

There are just over 2,500 B Corp businesses in the UK, including restaurants groups Pizza Pilgrims and Blacklock, mead producer Gosnells, and caterers Lettice Events and Houston and Hawkes.

Grind’s sustainability efforts include selling compostable coffee pods and recyclable packaging as well as supporting ocean cleanup projects. Its charity, the Better Coffee Foundation, aims to undo the environmental damage caused by the global coffee industry.

David Abrahamovitch, founder and chief executive of Grind, said: "Since Grind started serving coffee back in 2011, we've grown, changed and evolved significantly, with sustainability always at the heart of what we do. We've always strived to do things the right way, even when it isn't the easy way.

"We originally applied for the B Corp certification two years ago, but our rapid growth meant evaluating every area took time. Finally achieving certification is worthy of celebration.”

Companies are required to re-certify as a B Corp every three years.

Craft brewer and bar group BrewDog was certified as a B Corp in 2021 but pulled out of the scheme less than two years later.