Everything You Need to Know About Run the Day Blend

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee  

In honor of International Women’s Day, Death Wish Coffee brewed up a premium coffee blend called Run the Day. Inspired by the strength of the resilient, young women of the Girls Gotta Run organization, this blend gives back—in a big way. 

The coffee is a unique blend of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe arabica and Indian robusta, roasted to never-bitter perfection—so you can hit the ground running. Like a lightning bolt to the senses, this blend strikes back. Grown at high altitudes for notes of candied citrus and dark chocolate, these extra-strong beans are farmed down the road from where Olympic hopefuls train.

Most commonly known for being the birthplace of coffee and chock-full of athletic talent, people often overlook the hardships Ethiopians face—the girls in particular. Nearly 2 in 10 girls in Ethiopia complete school due to early marriage, early pregnancy, increased cost of school, food insecurity, gender bias, conflict, child labor—just to name a few. 

Our Run the Day blend provides the young women in Ethiopia with education, scholarships, life skills training, running clubs and leadership development so they can bust through the barriers, like a lioness taking charge.  

What Does Grind for Good Mean? Run the Day blend is our first venture into creating a blend that gives back to coffee-growing communities around the world.

What is the Story Behind the Roast? When creating the roast curve for Run the Day, our focus was on finding the sweet spot, where both coffees shine—coming together to deliver a well-rounded, smooth, complex drinking experience. In doing so, we were able to preserve the complex sensory profile offered by Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, while adding body, deep coffee impact and the extra kick of caffeine from the Indian robusta. The marriage of these two coffees is a true innovation in the coffee-roasting world.  

[Copyright: Girls Gotta Run Foundation]

How Does Run the Day Support the Girls Gotta Run Organization? Our Run the Day blend supports 10 young women and their mothers as they train, grow and develop over 2022 through the Girls Gotta Run organization.  

Run the Day was inspired by the young women of the Girls Gotta Run organization located near Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, where the blend originated. Ethiopia has won 35 Olympic medals in running. Nearly half of those winners are from Bekoji—the small village where Girls Gotta Run was founded. 

Running offers another pathway for the girls. It offers a means of building a better future and the honor of contributing to the Ethiopian national identity. The organization supports the girls at an age where they’re often forced to choose between marriage or education, a time when they’re most vulnerable to dropping out of school. While education may be an unpaved path in Ethiopia, it has the potential to lead to great opportunities. The Run the Day blend supports this organization through running, financial and academic support.  

[Photo Provided by: Falcon Coffees]

What Makes Run the Day Different From Other Blends? This unique blend of coffee is something that hasn’t been offered—ever before. The flavor profile is unlike any of our other coffee blends—a sip of empowerment. Most importantly, it gives back so you can feel good about your purchase. 

What Was the Inspiration Behind the Bag Design? The bag design was inspired by the bold colors of the Ethiopian flag and traditional basket-weaving patterns that are often used to carry coffee cherries in this region of the country. The upright lioness running forward symbolizes the strength, courage and fearlessness embodied by the girls enrolled in Girls Gotta Run as they charge through barriers to better their future and the future for their families. 

What Does It Taste Like? Our limited-edition Run the Day blend is bright, bold and highly caffeinated—with delicate notes of candied citrus and dark chocolate. Inspired by tradition, this blend packs all the beauty and nuance that Ethiopian arabica beans are known for and is artfully combined with the body and richness of robusta—a fearless innovation into the coffee-roasting frontier.   

What Is the Roast Shade? Medium. 

Where Do the Beans Come From?

• Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Arabica: an arabica, washed coffee with notes of candied citrus, chocolate and jasmine. Due to its complex sensory attributes, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is super-premium. In most cases, it is roasted light to preserve the delicate yet complex flavors and has more of a tea-like body.  
• Indian Cherry Robusta: a robusta, natural processed coffee with notes of dark chocolate, stone fruit and plenty of body. Robusta has been viewed over the years for being bitter, brackish and harsh, but that’s not the case for ALL robusta coffees. This species has several admirable characteristics that few, if any, roasters have been able to harness in such a way that Death Wish Coffee has. Robusta has about 2.5x the caffeine as arabica and adds incredible body, depth and aroma to a blend. When roasted properly, robusta takes a cup of coffee to a new level.   

[Photo Provided by: Falcon Coffees]

How Do You Brew It? Run the Day Coffee comes in ground coffee and whole bean.  

How Long Will This Blend Be Available? Run the Day was available for a limited time only and has since sold out. Stay tuned for future coffee blends.

Is the Coffee Healthy? We don’t like BS—so we make sure we’re using the freshest organic ingredients and no artificial flavors. 

Is It Sustainable? Our coffee is always Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic. The beans are ethically sourced to ensure the coffee farmers are being paid a fair wage and farming sustainably to save the coffee-growing region for future farming generations.  

Your purchase helps support the girls where that delicious cup of coffee is cultivated. Inspired by tradition, this blend packs all the beauty and nuance of Ethiopian arabica and richness of robusta—making it a fearless innovation into the coffee-roasting frontier. Life can be a grind—make it a Grind for Good.