Mental health
The reason this company exists. A portion of our proceeds goes toward mental health awareness and support, for the people carrying it and for the families carrying it alongside them.
About Us
Our story
Coffee with a reason behind it
Who Dat Java is a coffee and tea company out of New Orleans. The coffee is roasted for flavor first, because nobody keeps buying coffee out of sympathy. But there is a reason this company exists, and it is worth two minutes of your time.
It started at home
Hey there. I'm Bernard Keyes Jr., the founder of Who Dat Java.
It started at home. Mental health has touched my immediate family, and it has touched this community, and for a long time it was the thing nobody around here said out loud. Watching people I love carry that quietly was hard. It was also, in a way I did not expect, the reason this company exists.
One day my mom and I were sitting together over a cup of coffee. A small moment, nothing special about it.
"You know, this coffee makes everything a little brighter."
My mother, over an ordinary cup
That stayed with me. Maybe coffee could make a difference in other people's lives the way it just had in hers.
When I told her the idea, her eyes filled up and she said, "Bernard, that's a beautiful dream. Let's make it happen." That was the whole catalyst. Everything after that came from those two sentences.
Later I was explaining the plan to a college buddy and he said, "Education is a powerful tool for change. Why not support students at HBCUs?" Why not indeed. So the mission grew a second half.
Why "Who Dat Java"
A customer asked me this once, and I have used the same answer ever since. "Who Dat" is the community. It is New Orleans, it is the people around you, it is everybody in it together. "Java" is the heart of it. Put them side by side and you have the whole idea: we are all connected, and we can all make a difference.
What your order supports
Two causes, both personal
HBCU students
A portion of our proceeds goes to the HBCU Foundation, helping students at historically Black colleges and universities access opportunities, reach their goals and become the greatest version of themselves.
How it works
You are not donating. You are buying good coffee. The giving is on us, and it happens either way.
How we source and roast
Freshness is the part most coffee companies quietly skip. We do not. Beans are sourced from established growing regions, roasted with care, and packed at the point where they are at their best rather than whenever it suits the warehouse. A bag that sat around for four months is not the same product, no matter what the label says.
The same standard runs through the teas, the mushroom blends and the matcha. If it carries our name, it earned it.
What we value
Our values spell PEOPLE, which is not an accident
Passion
We are genuinely into this. It shows in the cup.
Excellence
High standards on sourcing, roasting and packing, every single time.
Openness
Different backgrounds, different ideas, all welcome at this table.
Purpose
There is a reason behind the business, and it drives the decisions.
Loyalty
Trust and straight talk, with customers and with each other.
Empathy
We know what these families are carrying. We built this brand so they feel seen.
Where we are going
Every cup brewed and every package shipped widens the circle a little. More support for mental health, more opportunity for HBCU students, more people who know the name.
My mom's words still sit with me. With Who Dat Java we are brewing coffee, sure. We are also brewing warmth, hope and change, one cup at a time.
Thank you for being part of it. Here's to Mom, to dreams, and to leaving a positive mark.
Bernard Keyes Jr., Founder
Taste what the story is about
Start with the mushroom line or the flavored coffees. Every order carries the mission with it.