Congratulations to Thatcher's Coffee! July marks their 11-year anniversary. As a certified green business for several years, Jamie Erdman believes part of her obligation as a business owner is to make the community better at every opportunity. From composting to reducing plastic bag liners, Thatcher's Coffee works hard to foster sustainable habits and change norms.

Due to the pandemic, this local coffee shop unfortunately had to put a freeze on many green practices. The pause resulted in new creativity from employees that allowed customers to continue bringing their own coffee mugs for contactless refills. Employees now use a pouring pitcher, have the customer set their refill mug on the counter and clean the pitcher after each pour. To reduce waste, Thatcher's Coffee uses an "ask first" policy and inquires if customers would like disposable items before handing them their order. Experimentation arose from having to switch to to-go containers when indoor-dining shut down. Working with their customers and keeping affordability in mind, Thatcher's Coffee did their best to keep waste as low as possible, given the circumstances.

Being able to stay open during COVID-19 has meant giving people some normalcy in unprecedented times. It was an honor for them to be that light and provide a little bit of happiness in someone's day. They look forward to reopening indoor dining soon and further celebrating their sense of community. Thank you, Thatcher's Coffee, for putting the environment and community first!