OUR STORY
We put together our love of coffee, desire to see our city flourish, and our passion for the people living in it, and Civic Roasters was born. Thanks for being here. We hope you stay, learn and grow with us.
Benita Ki launched Civic Roasters in 2018 with two friends, after years of imagining and dreaming how social entrepreneurship could help empower our community. What could it look like to use an everyday product to do good for the city? We love coffee and we also have a passion for amplifying the work of folks who are already bettering our communities. Now, years later, with Kyle and Alicia Bradshaw on the team and a village of people supportive of Civic’s vision, we’re excited to do good in Tacoma and beyond. Read more about our vision and mission below!
Co-owners Kyle Bradshaw, Benita Ki, Alicia Bradshaw (Iana Mae Abinales Photography)
About our products
All our coffee is single origin and hand roasted in small batches to ensure excellent quality. We source from farms with the highest standards and with certifications like fair trade and organic whenever possible, and from co-ops that provide social programs for the farmers. We seek to dignify and empower workers at every step of the process.
Our packaging comes from renewable, plant-based materials. We buy local whenever we can. We employ sustainable practices in our production process and are working towards fully compostable packaging.
A portion of our proceeds goes back to the community. We choose organizations to donate to and to partner with who advocate for and serve the most marginalized in our city.
Vision
To provide ethically and sustainably sourced coffee, roasted perfectly for all people to enjoy, and to inspire greater connections across the city by providing training and employment to formerly incarcerated women.
Mission
We seek to cultivate healthy neighborhoods by strengthening connections from farmer to roaster to you.
Values
To be ethical, transparent, open-minded to change, and stay teachable.
Intentionally invest in the well-being of the land, the people, and the trade.
Share our passion for great coffee and the city through neighborhood collaboration.
In the News
Winner of Business Impact Northwest’s 2022 Audience Favorite Video Award
Featured in The News Tribune in May 2022
2021 graduate of the Pierce County Business Accelerator
Graduate of 2021 Winter Cohort, Spaceworks. Spaceworks is Tacoma’s small business incubator program. is a joint non-profit of the City of Tacoma Arts Commission and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. Spaceworks makes Tacoma culturally vibrant and economically strong through training and support for artists and creative entrepreneurs.
Civic Stories:
A serial exploration of our people and place.