ST. ALBANS, WV (WOWK) — The Coal River Coffee Company is brewing a new blend and all its proceeds go towards scholarships for college students who are in recovery or have struggled with addiction.

Coal River is partnering with the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network (WVCRN) to create the medium-blend roast called Recovery Roast.

Recovery Roast was created by Coal River Coffee owner, Michael Ervin, who says he wants to pay it forward and support those struggling with addiction in the community.

Ervin says that the WVCRN was looking to bolster its scholarship program and reached out to him to partner and develop a roast in November 2022.

“It gives them a product they can be proud of and they can promote it and they’re trying to sell it because it benefits them and it benefits other people as well,” Ervin says.

According to Ervin, Recovery Roast is a medium-dark roast blended with Columbian and Guatemala coffee beans that creates a chocolatey and nutty taste to the coffee.

Ervin held a coffee tasting in November 2022 at Bridge Valley Community and Technical College and invited representatives from schools who are in recovery and they helped Ervin develop Recovery Roast.

“Folks in recovery probably wanted to have a say in what this will taste like,” Ervin says.

Ervin says this roast will benefit many in the community. Eventually, he says he wants Recovery Roast on every college campus in West Virginia.

Recovery Roast provides a scholarship fund for people who have completed certain aspects of recovery programs.

If you would like to enjoy a cup of coffee with a cause, you can visit the Coal River Coffee Company shop in St. Albans, or you can order a bag from their website.