About Us
The Black 6 Coffee Trading Co. is a veteran-owned company created to fund the non-profit organization we run, the Black 6 Project. Created in 2017, The Black 6 Project is an organization that pools its resources of motivated individuals to bring care to those in need anywhere in the world. Using our network of veterans, first responders, and medical professionals, we sent medical teams to Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, to provide humanitarian aid to places FEMA was unable to reach. More recently, we have deployed to remote areas in Mindoro, Philippines, performing medical assessments of several tribal communities.
Our appreciation for coffee began brewing long before the Black 6 Project came to be. Marines sitting in their foxholes during Operation Iraqi Freedom would try to find what little comfort they could in a routine ritual that reminded of home: brewing coffee. Though instead of turning on the coffeemaker, they burned twigs, rubbish, and even thin pieces of C4 plastic explosives to produce heat, and instead of fancy porcelain mugs used plain metal canteen cups, the coffee making turned into a comforting routine. Years later, coffee has continued to provide comfort and strength to the same dedicated group, but this time on the chaotic streets of New York City rather than the battlefields of Iraq. Aboard busy EMS units running around the clock, a cup of coffee not only provided solace, but also ensured the medical personnel were alert and awake.
And now, with Black 6 Project, coffee remains a big component of what we do as well, wherever we go – whether it is part of the local culture or on the top our gear list. It’s an offering of peace, or a conversation starter when someone hands you a nice warm cup of joe. It starts off our day, but also gives us an excuse to take a pause in the day and connect deeper with those around us. When we are tired and unable, it allows us to go on just a little further. And sometimes going even just a little further makes a worldful of difference in the communities we are trying to serve.
This is why we decided to start our own coffee company, and use it to help fund the project’s mission. Our passion for coffee is only surpassed by our desire to use our medical skills to help those in need. By sharing our love for coffee with you, we invite you to take the journey with us to the remote villages, the river crossings, and the uncertain trails where people do not have access to good healthcare. That is our mission at the Black 6 Coffee Trading Co., to allow the coffee lover in you the ability to enable the humanitarian in all of us.
— Joe Zoleta,
Founder of Black 6 Project & Black 6 Coffee Trading Co.
