BIGGBY COFFEE

One BIGG Island in Space (OBIIS) is a farm-direct coffee sourcing and procurement organization co-founded in 2018 by Bob and Michelle Fish, who also co-founded BIGGBY COFFEE, a retail coffee café chain with over 400 locations across 13 U.S. states. OBIIS was created specifically to transform the way BIGGBY COFFEE sources its coffee by eliminating broker and commodities-market intermediaries and establishing direct purchasing relationships with coffee-producing farms around the world. The organization's primary mission is to achieve 100% farm-direct coffee sourcing for BIGGBY COFFEE by 2028, a goal that is already 50% realized as of 2024. One product line, 'BIGGBY Best' drip coffee blend, is already 100% farm-direct and has surpassed one million pounds in annual sales.

The company's proprietary 'Farm-Direct' model goes beyond conventional fair trade and USDA organic frameworks. Rather than relying on a tiered supply chain of exporters, brokers, and intermediaries, OBIIS representatives travel directly to coffee-producing farms globally to evaluate potential partners against a rigorous set of human, environmental, and community standards. Prospective farm partners are assessed over multiple visits — sometimes three or four before a determination is made — with an emphasis on people and values alignment before coffee quality is even considered.

OBIIS evaluates farm partners based on three core pillars: treating people right, treating the planet right, and investing in local communities. On the human side, this includes payment of above-poverty wages, provision of adequate worker housing with kitchen and sanitation facilities, access to potable water and medical care, free meals, prohibition of forced child labor, and safe working conditions including protective equipment and hygiene facilities. Environmental standards include the avoidance of harmful or banned pesticides and herbicides, implementation of regenerative farming practices such as reforestation, protection of native plant and animal species, composting, soil health management through mulching and cover crops, and responsible water management including wastewater treatment from wet mill processing, smart irrigation, and water recycling. Community investment criteria vary by location but can include supporting local schools, facilitating access to potable water, providing medical screening services, and improving local infrastructure such as roads and electricity.

A distinctive feature of the OBIIS sourcing methodology is its 'Farmshare' program, in which an existing farm-direct partner accompanies OBIIS representatives on prospective farm visits. This cross-pollination approach leverages the agronomic expertise of established farming partners to provide deeper operational assessments of prospective partners and facilitates the exchange of agricultural knowledge and best practices.

The organization was established in response to dual threats facing global coffee production: climate change and the dysfunctional commodities pricing system. Climate shifts in coffee-growing regions are intensifying pest and disease pressure while making farming increasingly difficult and unprofitable, leading many farmers to abandon their land. By paying farmers directly and at sustainable prices, OBIIS aims to create long-term economic stability for producers, enabling generational continuity in farming. The company's name and philosophy are inspired by the iconic 'Earthrise' photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, reflecting a worldview of global interdependence and shared responsibility.