our Mission
Creating Pathways Out of Poverty
At Dirty Girl Coffee, we believe that where women thrive, communities thrive. We are a small-batch craft coffee roaster with a social mission to promote economic progress in Appalachia, with a special focus on marginalized communities.
“Rising tides raise all boats,” explains founder Jane Cavarozzi. “If we can effectively address the roots of poverty and elevate everyone’s economic standing, we create sustainable progress that benefits the entire community for generations.”
Beyond Coffee: Building Foundations for Change
At Dirty Girl Coffee, we want everyone to enjoy life and drink fantastic locally roasted coffee! We offer responsibly sourced coffees, including the largest selection of women-produced coffees supporting pay equity in growing regions. Our mission is to chip away at those long-enduring barriers to economic progress and help women find their voice, their power, and make the world a better place. We believe that where women thrive, communities thrive.
Empowering Women in Our Community
Dirty Girl Coffee aspires to positively impact the lives of disadvantaged women and girls in our community. We are active in many community efforts, working with local, county, and state leaders to support economic progress and strategies to recruit skill-building opportunities into the area.
Building Skills and Opportunities
We work on community-building efforts with organizations like Glouster Revitalization Organization as well as other local organizations to give women the skills to progress in many areas, such as entrepreneurship, running for political office, and so much more.
Revitalizing Our Hometown
Dirty Girl Coffee is working to improve conditions in our local community of Glouster, OH, by captaining projects that create venues for small business and remote workers, access to internet, developing public spaces, and hosting events such as Glouster First Friday, which provides live music, food, and fun to our community. Dirty Girl Coffee also acts as proof of concept that our community can and will support and sustain small businesses.
Creating Economic Growth in Rural Ohio
To support the furthering of women’s economic standing, we support economic development in portions of Ohio designated as critical by the state of Ohio. Two counties in Ohio of our initial focus are Athens County and Morgan County. These counties are in need of diverse economic development and job creation and expansion.
Specifically, we try to focus on projects that support women and the advancement of women’s economic standing. How? We are involved in facilitating local initiatives to bring a diverse employment portfolio to the area. We actively lobby state and local government, developers, and businesses to expand development and continue to expand transportation corridors in the target area, facilitating job creation. At Dirty Girl Coffee, we want to support an environment in which outside companies will compete to relocate to the area, bringing high-quality skill-building jobs to our target group–Women currently living in poverty.
We are working to facilitate an environment in which small businesses and local communities can thrive together! We are investigating the most effective means to provide skill-building, mentoring, and coaching to facilitate women’s preparedness and economic progress.
“Just because you can’t transform everything doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference somewhere,” Jane says. “When you see an opportunity to create positive change, take that shot. Every step forward matters”
If you would like to get involved, please reach out to info@dirtygirlcoffee.com.
Our Impact: From Ideas to Action
Through our work and partnerships, we’re tackling the real challenges facing our community:
Addressing the Food Desert
Glouster is a food desert. Residents without cars can only shop at Dollar General and local carryouts. Through our work with Glouster Revitalization Organization, we’re developing a 3,000-square-foot food collective with a shared kitchen environment so that food entrepreneurs can get an affordable start and to create a dedicated space for fresh produce in town.
Creating Living Wage Jobs
In a community that’s economically distressed, we’re focused on attracting jobs that pay a living wage. The Knights of Pythias building project which includes a remote work hub/coworking space paired with workforce development efforts is projected to create $1.6 million in annual payroll revenue for the community of Glouster.
Helping to create venues for small business
Through our work with GRO, we are working to renovate one building at a time to facilitate a vibrant uptown Glouster
Our Partnerships
Our work is made possible through collaboration with various organizations:
- Glouster Revitalization Organization (GRO): A 501(c)(3) focused on raising funds and building venues for small businesses.
- Ohio Women’s Coalition: The largest collective of women-owned businesses in Ohio, working to preserve community, resources and vital programs like the state-funded women in business loan fund.
- Athens County Foundation: Supporting county-wide initiatives and infrastructure to build on the strengths of our community.
- Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program: Supporting survivors of domestic violence with employment, housing, counseling, and training.
- GRIT Ohio The GRIT Project focuses on collaboration as a means of building economic growth for rural Appalachia counties in Ohio and is a key partner in workforce development in Glouster.
Collaboration for Change
“When we started putting down roots here and identifying gaps in community needs, we surveyed community members and discovered people wanted certain elements not available at the time.. like a coffee shop, safe spaces for kids to hang out after school, access to internet, park spaces–fundamental things that build community.”
Through Glouster First Friday events and other community engagement, we’ve been able to influence how people envision the future of Glouster. We’re proud of the progress:
- Active renovation of multiple buildings creating venues for businesses and housing
- Development of a park across from our coffee shop
- Collaborating with multiple organizations to secure a $21 million Appalachian Community Grant Program award for community development
“We want everyone to feel that they can be part of their own solution or the community’s future,” Jane says. “We don’t just want, but need and value everyone’s voice, ideas, and engagement to create lasting change.”
Join Us
We invite you to be part of the change. Every purchase at Dirty Girl Coffee supports our impact. Beyond enjoying our exceptional coffee, you can:
- Buy Dirty Girl Coffee to help us support our mission
- Donate to support specific community initiatives
- Share your skills and expertise with local entrepreneurs
- Volunteer with one of our partner organizations
At Dirty Girl Coffee, we invite you to see the challenges our community faces and how you can help create change. Your support goes beyond simply enjoying our exceptional coffee—it extends to participating in community events, patronizing local businesses, volunteering your time, sharing your expertise, or contributing financially to our initiatives. Everyone has something valuable to offer in building a stronger community.
If you would like to get involved, please reach out to info@dirtygirlcoffee.com.