While in a new-to-me city, my favorite souvenir is a bag of coffee beans from a local roaster. Then when I arrive back home, I can relive that city by enjoying a cup of its local coffee.
When I’m in a travel lull, all I have to do is head to the store where I buy towels, bed linens, and other home decor items: HomeGoods. Specifically the gourmet foods section, where you can find bags of whole-bean coffee — far from your run-of-the-mill options (in other words, there’s more than Starbucks and illy).
Instead, the options include micro coffee roasters from around the United States. Recently I brought home a $7.99 bag of Red Rooster Coffee’s The Raven, a darker-roast blend that typically retails for $12 (this price is according to HomeGoods and also the roaster itself). With no plans to visit Floyd, Virginia, soon — where the roaster’s based — I considered this a virtual travel experience. So into the cart and, shortly after, my home it went.
What’s So Great About Red Rooster Coffee The Raven Darker Roast?
As anyone who shops at HomeGoods knows, part of the fun is a wildly eclectic and ever-changing mix of products. Another reason the retailer is cool is that the items frequently are no longer sold in other stores — in other words, they are from prior seasons. This applies whether it’s a sweater, comforter, or, in this case, coffee.
My husband and I both like a bold-roast flavor with our morning coffee, which we usually brew using a French press, and this roaster’s The Raven Darker Roast definitely delivered. The blend is a mix of coffees from Brazil and Honduras. We had other bags of coffee beans in the house, from other roasters, but kept turning to this one so that we drank it several mornings, if not two weeks, in a row.
Red Rooster Coffee is also an example of a company that’s doing good in the world — not just for farmers (paying high premiums for their coffee and giving to social and environmental programs in their communities), but also for its workers. It’s the only coffee company in the U.S. with on-site childcare, while also providing full healthcare benefits and a living wage.
Find it in stores: Red Rooster Coffee The Raven Darker Roast, $7.99 for 12 ounces at HomeGoods
What hidden grocery gems are you buying at HomeGoods? Tell us about it in the comments below.
