Lee Wallace’s Stewardship Our Essential Coffee
Lee Wallace has served as the Owner, CEO, and Queen Bean of Minneapolis’ own Peace Coffee since 2018, after working for the coffee brand for nearly a decade. The leading independent coffee proprietor in the area, Peace Coffee also holds a soft spot in our hearts, as they aim to embody the cooperative spirit as much as possible, with a focus on fair-trade, organic coffee grown by small scale farmers, who are members of their local cooperatives. Their collective ethos is one of collaboration and cooperation with their producers and farms they work with, along with land stewardship.
Lee’s goal as leader of Peace Coffee is to uplift the communities in which they do business, both here and around the world. Their slogan “In it for good” is one they take seriously and at the heart of everything they do. Involved in the business since 2006, Lee is in a role that has traditionally been male dominated. Nevertheless, she’s said that “growing up only with brothers, I’ve learned to believe in my ideas, and my voice, so I haven’t really let it deter me at all”. It’s her aim that Peace Coffee lives and breathes its values and invest in what they think is right. Their belief that every human should be treated with dignity extends from their coffee farmers, to employees, to queer communities, and families.
Wallace is also committed to PC’s focus on fair trade. She cites a trip she made to one of their growers in Guatemala in 2008 that had only just recently installed electricity. She then says when the visited a few years ago, they had the capability to test different coffee plants that were impacted by climate change. These long-term relationships with growers are beneficial not just for the farms themselves, but they also deliver a higher-quality product to customers right here in Minnesota. The company is a certified B-Corp, which means it is their mission to balance people, planet, and profit.
Having moved to their Lake Street facility and expanding it several times over the years, Lee is at the helm of one of Minnesota’s most remarkable businesses. One that is dedicated to making a delicious product, and also uplifting and enriching the community it sources from, and the one it serves. River Market is proud to carry several varieties of Peace Coffee in house, as well as serving it hot near the deli.