We were lucky to catch up with Tami Canaday recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tami , thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Tami, Owner/Founder of Wagon Coffee, identifies as a Recovery Advocate and Loved One of an Addict. Her husband, Ryan, is 9+ years sober. She has witnessed the beautiful transformation of recovery through him and within their marriage. In 2018, Ryan and Tami launched a nonprofit called FREE—for Addicts, loved ones of Addicts, and spiritual refugees. They create space for healing, recovery, and spiritual connection.

Because of FREE, Tami learned more about women in recovery, their stories, the alarming and increasing addiction stats, and the hardships they face as WOMEN in recovery; 5.7% of women have a substance use disorder in the United States. She also discovered some staggering COVID-19 statistics…according to a Journal of American Medical Report (JAMA) report Women, in particular, exhibited a 41% increase in alcohol consumption over a 2019 baseline. Tami decided to do something, in the midst of a pandemic, to help women in recovery. And it just so happens [ironically enough] that 90% of recovering addicts and alcoholics drink coffee!

Wagon Coffee was founded in 2020 by Tami Canaday in response to the critical need for assistance for those afflicted with alcohol and drug addiction. So, along comes wagon coffee…Why “Wagon”?! It comes from the century old saying, when you are sober, you are “on the wagon”. They are “being the wagon” by guiding women in recovery towards wholeness by providing second chances through employment, encouragement, & empowerment.

Tami , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Tami, Owner of Wagon Coffee, has an extensive background in coffee that includes 20 years of experience…rising through the ranks from Barista to Coffee Master Trainer to District Operations. Her corporate coffee background combined with her story and passion as a recovery advocate is what ignited Wagon Coffee Colorado Roasters LLC.

Tami also has 4+ years of experience roasting coffee within the walls of FREE (a community for addicts, loved ones of addicts, and spiritual refugees, where she is Co-Founder. alongside her Husband, Ryan) As the loved one of an addict and recovery advocate, Tami’s vision for Wagon Coffee Roasters is to inspire and guide women in recovery towards wholeness by providing second chances through employment, encouragement, and empowerment.

Wagon Coffee Roasters choose to be an advocate for Women in Recovery. Why? According to the CDC 2019 report:
▪ In the U.S., 5.7 million women were reported as having an alcohol use disorder (AUD)
▪ 5% to 10% of women in the US will suffer from alcoholism sometime in their lives
▪ Female alcoholics have death rates that are 50-100% higher than men who are alcoholics.
▪ In 2019, 4% of US women overall and 8% of women aged 18 to 25 years had an Alcohol Use Disorder.
And, these statistics are on the rise. In fact, the U.S. just saw the worst year in overdose history from April 2021-April 2022 of +100,000…it’s heartbreaking. Advocating for women in recovery is their part in contributing to a solution.

Sustainability is core to Wagon Coffee in so many ways. Not only is Wagon Coffee showing up and supporting women in recovery but they are providing verified living wages to small lot farmers. Wagon considers them Partners, Not Farmers; sourcing coffee from trusted import partners & personal friends to ensure that it meets their sustainability, transparency, and high quality standards. Wagon Coffee is committed to paying our producer partners above fair trade prices.

Our coffee is processed from farm to cup by humans (not machines) that receive livable, workable wages. Sustainability- economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and gender equality- are central to Wagon Coffee.

But it doesn’t stop there…Unrivaled Consistency, Clean Energy, and Zero Emissions is how Wagon Coffee gives back to environmental sustainability through our Bellwether Roaster.
*Wagon’s roaster is manufactured by Bellwether Coffee, the most consistent, controllable and sustainable small batch coffee roaster in the world.
*They use recirculating roasting technology that removes particulates and volatile organic compounds in real-time and is 100% Electric
*The air that exits the roaster is cleaner than the air going in, reducing the carbon footprint of each roasting cycle by an average of 90%

When you “get on the wagon” and drink Wagon Coffee, the coffee doesn’t just help you – it helps women in recovery, local and global communities, plus the environment which helps ALL OF US.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Tami started roasting coffee in her backyard on a small 8oz home roaster, under the Colorado Food Cottage Act. 100% of the funds were being donated back to FREE, her and Ryan’s nonprofit. But road blocks kept rising up; no ability to send coffee across state lines, not being a commercial operation, not being able to sell wholesale, not able to keep up with the demand…even after purchasing 3 home roasters.

Decisions had to be made. Take the leap and go all in or stay comfortable and within our FREE walls. While it was making a difference for FREE, Tami knew that their was potential to shatter the glass ceiling. This meant flipping the script to making Wagon Coffee a LLC and making it crystal clear how the proceeds were making a difference. She choose women due to the rising and staggering statistics around women in recovery. And Tami knew she had established good friends and customers from 2018-2020.

Tami sat down with a retired banker and they sipped coffee while scaling out the growth and plan for Wagon Coffee Roasters. This banker appreciated Tami’s experience, her knowledge and passion, and loved product — calling it liquid gold. Then she sat down with another friend/partner that helped her create a business proposal for investors. Next came the investor conversations and investments to help get Wagon off the ground and financially comfortable to purchase inventory and become fully operational, commercially.

With contracts in place and encompassing support, Wagon Coffee was established in 2020 with a full launch of the online site: WagonCoffeeRoasters.com and the Bellwether Roaster on October 13, 2020.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

When Tami started roasting coffee at home on the home roaster it was called “FREE Coffee”. The coffee was for the community and 100% of the proceeds poured back into the non-profit. As the demand grew and the conversation of commercializing the coffee bubbled up, it was clear that the name has to be changed from “FREE Coffee”. Not only was “FREE” confusing when tied to a product but it was difficult to measure exactly how the monies were making a difference when it all just went to the bottom line of the Non-Profit.

Cue Wagon Coffee, which is still roasted within the walls of FREE. The Wagon has always been a central image to FREE.

What’s the story behind the wagon? A few years ago, Ryan visited the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest and largest missions of its kind in America.

As Ryan was walking through the halls with one of the leaders, He noticed a picture of a wagon hanging on one of the walls. The wagon that hangs on the wall is part of the story of their origins. Tugged by two horses, this wagon would go into the roughest parts of L.A.—the part of the city that was filled with bars and drunks and others who were in need. Those on the wagon would offer food, clothing, and hope. They called this thing the “Gospel Wagon.” They would also invite folks to get on the wagon and they would be taken to a place of safety and recovery. Now, what happens when a bunch of drunk people get on a wagon…and the wagon starts to move? Exactly! It was common for people to fall off the wagon. Yep, it’s where we get the phrase, “fallen off the wagon.” If someone fell off the wagon, the wagon would stop and the sober ones would help the fallen get back on the wagon.

Ryan and Tami want FREE and Wagon Coffee to “be the wagon”. When folks have “fallen off”—when they’re struggling and barely hanging on to life—we want to be with them and offer hope. We want to remind them of their worth and value. We want to be the wagon together and journey towards places of healing, recovery, and spiritual connection.

Today, Wagon Coffee Roasters gets to make an impact with specific measurable variables, which includes women in recovery that get to show up and stay centered and sober in a sober and safe environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: WagonCoffeeRoasters.com
• Instagram: @wagoncoffeeroasters
• Facebook: @wagoncoffeeroasters
• Linkedin: @tamicanaday

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