Community > Chaos
2025 delivered volatility across both the global economy and the entire coffee supply chain. Yet one thing never shifted: the strength of our community and the collective impact we can make when we act together. As we look back, we’re grateful for the ways our team, customers, and partners supported education, community, and health across the supply chain. This work is both a reflection of where we have been and a foundation for where we are headed. In 2026, we will take this commitment even further, rallying our community around a focused effort to expand access to lifesaving cervical cancer screening in coffee-growing regions.
Education
Education continues to anchor Royal’s mission and The Crown’s role in Oakland. This year, we hosted a wide range of classes, workshops, and community events, many at discounted or donated rates.
- $4,620 contributed in scholarships and event space support
- $16,495 in green coffee donated to institutions such as UC Davis and Berry College, driving research now published in scientific journals
- $6,667 raised for World Coffee Research and $2,630 for Coffeelands through per-pound customer contributions
- Pricing data contributed to the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide
Community
We remain committed to showing up for our local community through sponsorships, fundraisers, and in-kind contributions.
- $985 in auction items donated
- $8,050 in private event discounts and $1,620 in donated event space at The Crown
- Participation in the Coffee Community Fundraiser to support immigrants’ rights through the ACLU
- Royal staff contributions: $3,000 in payroll donations to Grounds for Health and $2,700 raised through sweatshirt sales.
Health
This is where our deepest impact, and greatest urgency, lives.
Since 2005, one of Royal’s strongest commitments has been supporting Grounds for Health, whose mission is to provide cervical cancer screening and prevention to women in coffee-growing regions. With both company support and the leadership of our cofounder, Bob Fulmer, Royal contributed $330,000 in 2025, bringing our total support to $1.6 million. This has allowed for over 42,000 women to be screened, and the training of more than 600 essential health workers.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers when caught early. Grounds for Health has now screened more than 237,000 women across multiple countries. This year delivered a sobering reality: sweeping global health funding cuts left Grounds for Health as the only nonprofit still providing HPV testing for cervical cancer prevention in Ethiopia, and one of few in Kenya.
Even with reduced resources, the team reached more than 8,000 women through HPV self-testing, four times more than the previous year. The need is growing, and so is our resolve to support the women who rely on this care. After meeting with the Grounds for Health team in Ethiopia this November, I left with a renewed sense of purpose. Their work is courageous, necessary, and deeply aligned with Royal’s values.
In January 2026, we will launch our most ambitious Grounds for Health fundraiser to date. Royal Coffee will match donations up to $125,000, multiplying the impact of every contribution. The need is significant, but the opportunity is even greater. We invite you to stand with us, lend your voice, and help ensure that women in coffee-growing communities receive lifesaving cervical cancer screening and care.
To learn how you or your company can participate, visit the fundraiser landing page and explore the ways to get involved. Together, we can honor the people behind every harvest and build a future where healthcare is more accessible.
Latest Articles by Isabella Vitaliano
Royal Coffee and Grounds for Health Ethiopia Trip
Editor’s Note: This field report accompanies Royal Coffee’s ongoing partnership with Grounds for Health, an organization dedicated to providing life-saving cervical cancer screening and treatment to women in coffee-growing communities....