Caribou Coffee now powered by solar energy, as well as caffeine

July 19, 2024

Caribou Coffee announced Friday that it has subscribed to two community solar gardens in Minnesota that were built by Renewable Properties, a San Francisco, Calif.-based solar developer, and are managed by Minneapolis-based Terasota Partners. The two solar gardens are located in Waseca County and in Rice County, near Faribault. They're also supplying other businesses, like Merchants Bank, as well as smaller players. The solar gardens are 1-megawatt each, which produces enough energy to run 347 houses for a year. That energy is enough to reduce the CO2 equivalent of 542 cars annually. “The collaboration with Renewable Properties and Terasota is really a win-win-win,” John Walbrun, the senior vice president of supply chain and properties at Caribou Coffee, said in a press release. “There’s now more clean solar energy being produced in the state and with the reduction in our energy costs, Caribou can continue to focus on its mission to provide high quality, handcrafted beverages and food that will fuel our customers’ adventures big and small.” The solar gardens are Renewable Properties' first two in Minnesota, but founder and president Aaron Halimi promised in a press release that the company would build more. Jake Wanek, vice president at Terasota, confirmed that Renewable Properties had plans to build other gardens. "When you get a Caribou on these gardens, it really helps the development process," Wanek said. Terasota reached out to Caribou initially, and said that the coffee giant's participation allowed the firm to focus on securing deals with local businesses. The solar gardens were built as part of Xcel Energy's Community Solar Program. That means that they aren't owned by any one company, but instead provide power to multiple subscribers.