Fire Department Coffee, a veteran-owned brand that is dedicated to handcrafting great-tasting coffee and supporting first responders, announced that its founder and CEO, Luke Schneider, has been awarded the 2023 Leadership Award for Citizenship from The Specialty Food Association (SFA). Chosen by the SFA’s Recognition Industry Working Group from among dozens of submissions, Schneider prominently demonstrated the caring and consciousness of the specialty food industry through his development of quality coffee and inspirational leadership of the Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation.
Established by Schneider in 2018, the Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation was founded to give back to first responders who have become sick or injured on the job, mentally or physically, or who are facing other serious health challenges.
“Being recognized by the SFA as a leader in the industry is an incredible honor that wouldn’t be possible without the inspirational team of firefighters, first responders, and coffee experts that I have the honor of working with every day,” Schneider said in the announcement. “I am in a unique position where I get to give back to those who give everything to their community, and I look forward to making an even greater impact through our brand’s coffee sales, and in turn the Foundation, in 2023 – and beyond.”
As a retired firefighter and U.S. Navy veteran, it has always been Schneider’s mission to give back to his community. Since founding Fire Dept. Coffee in 2016, he has been passionate about providing great-tasting coffee to people everywhere. In 2018, Schneider decided to embrace his roots and founded the Fire Dept. Coffee Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. To date, the foundation has provided support to organizations such as New Jersey Firefighters Benevolent Fund and the Grand Rapids Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Foundation, and under Schneider’s continued leadership, it aims to give $2 million by 2025.
Read more about Schneider’s journey associated with this accolade at https://www.specialtyfood.com/awards/leadership/2023-leadership-award-winners/.
