For people living gluten-free or managing inflammation, what you consume matters. While coffee is often viewed as a simple daily ritual, Addy and Zach, founders of Hiker Coffee, learned firsthand that environmental exposure and ingredient quality can affect overall wellness.

Their journey didn’t lead them away from coffee. Instead, it inspired them to reimagine how coffee is sourced, tested, and prepared—raising the bar for what “clean” coffee can truly mean.

The Wake-Up Call

Addy and Zach had always lived active, outdoor-focused lives. High school sweethearts who bonded over shared adventures, their mornings often started with a cup of coffee before heading out hiking, biking, or exploring. But by 2019, something felt off.

Despite eating well and staying active, they began experiencing ongoing health challenges that disrupted their routines. After working with a holistic practitioner, they uncovered a key piece of the puzzle: mold exposure from their living environment.

“Once we understood how mold exposure impacts inflammation and histamine responses,” Addy explains, “we became more aware of everything around us—our air, our food, and even what we drank every day.”

That awareness sparked deeper research into how everyday products are produced, and what often goes untested.

Why Coffee Quality Matters

Coffee is grown in humid climates and frequently stored and transported over long periods before roasting. While that doesn’t make coffee inherently unsafe, it does mean quality control and testing matter—especially for people with sensitive systems.

Through research, Addy and Zach learned two important truths:

• Roasting does not destroy mycotoxins
• Organic certification alone doesn’t guarantee low mold levels
  

Rather than walking away from coffee altogether, they asked a different question: What if coffee were made with the same care and transparency as clean food?

Building a Cleaner Coffee Standard

That question reshaped Hiker Coffee’s mission. 

Today, Hiker Coffee:

• Sources washed, organic beans from lower-risk regions in Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Honduras
• Sends every batch to independent, third-party labs
• Screens for mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals
  

Each roast meets the European safety standard of less than 3 parts per billion (ppb) of mycotoxins, with many batches testing at zero.

“We follow the strictest global standards,” Zach says. “We’re proud to share our lab results because people deserve to know what’s in their cup.”

Their flavored blends follow the same clean philosophy:

• Seed-oil-free
• No synthetic or vague “natural flavors”
• Made with real spices and MCT oil

A Gluten-Free Café Designed for Safety

That same attention to detail extends beyond the beans to Hiker Café, a 100% gluten-free, seed-oil-free café designed for people who rarely feel safe eating out. The café emphasizes transparency and ingredient integrity, including:

• Scratch-made syrups and house-made coconut milk
• Organic, locally sourced ingredients
• Reverse-osmosis filtered water for all drinks and ice
• Compostable packaging

 “No shortcuts,” Zach says. Customers often tell them: “I finally feel safe, eating here.”

More Than Coffee

What started as a personal wellness journey has grown into a community-driven brand rooted in trust and intention. Looking ahead, Addy and Zach plan to continue expanding their toxin-free offerings while educating consumers on what “clean” really means.

“Clean isn’t a buzzword for us,” Addy says. “It’s about feeling supported, energized, and confident—one sip at a time.”

Learn more at hiker.coffee.

As always, consult a medical professional before beginning any new health or wellness protocol.