We launched Together Coffee in June and since then it has been making a profound impact on our Fellows community, their families, and their businesses.
As a company, we’d been dreaming up a coffee brand for a while now and had plans to see it come to fruition with the launch of our fall collection, but once Covid-19 hit and businesses around the world started shutting down, it became clear that we needed to take action on this idea as soon as possible in order to ensure we could take care of team both globally and here in the U.S. Our headquarters team made magic and our Fellows met us with their abundance of enthusiasm.
We gave our customers a product that they’d be buying even in a time of stretched budgets and lots of time at home.
When we launched Together Coffee, we had our Fellows in mind. Our community was counting on us to innovate and give them more tools to succeed during this challenging time. Together Coffee gave our Fellows a new consumable product that they could be confident in sharing with their friends and family.
Through the launch of Together Coffee, we’ve been able or bring more people into this beloved community with a coffee focused starter kit that allows them to build a business entirely around fair-trade coffee if they choose It has given people an opportunity to earn an income at home when they might have lost their full-time job or need to supplement their income quickly.
A few months in, we wanted to check-in with a few of our Fellows who have been top sellers of Together Coffee to see how this new product has impacted their businesses and lives
How has selling Together Coffee impacted your business?
Jodi: The biggest way that Together Coffee has impacted my business is by providing an opportunity for a more diverse group of people to join in creating an impact. I love that my husband can come alongside me in creating an impact and is dreaming big dreams with me about selling coffee!
Jeanene: Selling Together Coffee has not only introduced me to new customers but has also allowed me to introduce so many new customers to our amazing fashion line as well!
Natasha: Not only am I able to start my day with the freshest cup of fair trade coffee (#workperks), but I am also able to offer an affordable luxury to my customers who continually reinvest in more of their new favorite world-changing brew. Sharing Together Coffee is another way I am able to educate my followers on the impact we can make in the world just by making a simple switch for something we are already doing: like drinking coffee. 70% of us drink it every day- by switching to a fair trade coffee, specifically Together Coffee, not only are we able to have a better & fresher cup than what we can get on the shelf, but we are also ensuring the lives of those producing the coffee are taken care of AND sending girls to college. That’s the best kind there is in my humble, fair-trade, good-coffee lovin’ opinion.
Brita: Together Coffee has truly widened my customer base and I am so grateful for it. I have had so many women join parties just because they heard they could support our mission by sipping a cup of justice in the morning.
How has recurring coffee subscriptions affected your income?
Jodi: I’m excited for the potential of this. I love having reoccurring sales that require minimal effort. I know that my customers will love their coffee and it makes me happy to know that each time they drink Together Coffee they can feel good about the impact they are making!
Jeanene: After my customers have tried our coffee, many have subscribed and continue to love it! It’s so fun to create change with both fashion and coffee!
Natasha: Having customers order coffee subscriptions continually has been such a blessing. It’s easy on them because they never run out of coffee (which would be a travesty), and great for me to have recurring income from them switching to a better brew. With many of us working from home during Covid, there isn’t as much of a need for fashion products, but there is still a need for java (for us caffeine addicts). Since leaving my full-time job to pursue Sseko full time, there is a certain level I like to hit to replace my previous income. With coffee subscriptions renewing automatically, I am able to consistently hit that number (and I don’t miss my old job AT ALL). I’d rather send girls to college for a living, and coffee makes that so much easier.
Brita: As someone working hard to make Sseko my career, I love having a consumable product! I am able to count on consistent income alongside my one time purchases.
How have your customers responded to Together Coffee?
Jodi: My customers love it! They are so excited about the taste and the difference they make by drinking it! Most recently my husband and I have connected Together Coffee with a whole new group of people with a fundraiser helping young women from Tanzania pay for her College education because her scholarships were lost due to COVID. I can be confident that each person that purchases this coffee will love it!
Mary Beth Baggett: I did a birthday blessing bash. I turned 56 in May and wanted to sell 56 bags of coffee. For every 5 bags of coffee sold, I was going to bless a teacher with a bag of coffee. The response was amazing. One friend, who works for an insurance agency, had a budget to bless essential, front line workers in her city. She bought $500 worth of coffee. I WAS SHOCKED….and overwhelmingly grateful, and so encouraged.
Natasha: My customers love it! They say they can taste the difference compared to what they were drinking (store shelf coffee is months old compared to Together Coffee that is roasted and shipped within 2 days). I am finding a bigger client base as well (my Dad made his first-ever Sseko purchase when Together Coffee was released, even though I’ve been a Fellow for 2 years). Coffee appeals to a wide range of people (that other 30% don’t know what they are missing), and the price point is very affordable for those who are just trying it out, gift-giving, or subscribing.
Brita: I have had so many people tell me how much they LOVE our coffee. I have had non-coffee drinkers sign up for a subscription after getting a taste of our incredible coffee. Our delicious coffee makes my job easy, it basically sells itself.
What would you say to someone who was considering joining with Sseko to sell Together Coffee?
Jodi: Just go for it? You have nothing to lose. The investment is minimal but the opportunity to create change in our world is huge. The ripple effect of your choice to share coffee with your community will create change for others and inside of you!
Jeanene: I love that Sseko is offering a coffee joining special! If you’re a lover of coffee and fair trade we would love to have you join us! Our promise to you is that will be surrounded by a supportive community, have access to amazing digital resources, and the ability to connect with others to create impact and income! You’ll be able to share both amazingly yummy coffee and stunning handmade pieces. There is a seat at this table for you, so pull up a chair 🙂
Natasha: It’s seriously no risk. Only $40 to start building a business, AND, you get about $40 worth of coffee for that?! You can’t go wrong. If all else fails, drink the coffee and you lose nothing. But you have everything to gain- and can make such a huge difference in the lives of those who need it most.
Brita: You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain! Why not make money doing something you already do anyway? Join us, we want you here, be a part of an uplifting community; and start your day, knowing you are making the world brighter one sip at a time.
If you’re interested in becoming a part of the Fellows Community by selling Together Coffee, you can learn more and get started here.