Serenity Shore Coffee began with a prayer, not a business plan. In August 2025, I felt a clear call to move from simply caring about human trafficking to actually doing something about it — and within days, my husband Richard suggested we sell coffee, before I'd said a word about what I'd been praying about. Today, 40% of every purchase funds rescue, restoration, and support for survivors of trafficking.
Where the Idea Really Started
People often ask us how a coffee company ends up fighting human trafficking. The honest answer is that it happened the other way around. Richard and I didn't start a coffee business and decide to bolt a cause onto it. The cause came first. Coffee was simply the vehicle we landed on to fund it.
I want to tell you how it actually happened, because it still gives me chills when I think back on it.
In August, Something Shifted
I'd spent years caring about human trafficking from a distance — reading about it, praying about it, feeling that quiet ache you get when you know something is deeply wrong in the world but you're not sure what your part in fixing it is supposed to look like.
In August of 2025, that ache turned into a call. I felt like I was being asked to stop just caring and start building something — some kind of ongoing, sustainable way to fund rescue and restoration work, not just a one-time gift or a single fundraiser.
I didn't say any of this out loud to Richard. I just prayed about it. I felt the Lord leading me to build a website, sell something, and give the money to the people who have boots on the ground- doing the work in prevention and restoration. Through our marketing company, we had built a lot of websites, but had never wanted to do ecommerce and, in fact, had passed off ecommerce sites to other agencies. I remember saying to God that day, “Lord, I’m all in. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but if I go to Richard with an ecommerce site, he’s going to tell me no. I need you to talk to him.” I left him in God’s hands and I went about looking into Shopify and WooCommerce as my mind was reeling with questions about what we were going to sell and how to do all this.
Then, two days later and completely out of nowhere, as we were driving down the road, Richard said to me, “I’ve got something I want to talk to you about. I think I want to sell coffee.”
He had no idea what I'd been praying about. I hadn't told him a single word of it. And there he was, suggesting the exact kind of everyday, repeatable purchase that could actually sustain something bigger than either of us. That's not a coincidence to me. That's confirmation.
Why Coffee, Specifically
Once the idea was on the table, it made sense fast. Coffee isn't a one-time purchase — it's a habit. People don't buy a bag once and move on; they run out, and they buy more. That meant we weren't building a single fundraiser. We were building something that could fund rescue and restoration work every single month, for as long as people kept drinking their morning cup.
It also gave us something a donation drive can't: a way for people to participate in the mission without writing a check they might not have room for. You were always going to buy coffee somewhere. We just gave that habit a purpose.
What "Breathe Deep, Sip Slow, Live Free" Really Means
Our tagline isn't just a pleasant phrase for a coffee bag. It's a deliberate contrast.
Every morning, the people who buy our coffee get to breathe deep, slow down, and enjoy a few quiet minutes of freedom — something most of us take completely for granted. Victims of human trafficking are denied exactly that: safety, rest, and the basic freedom to exist without fear. Every cup is a small, daily reminder of what we're working toward for someone else, and a chance to help fund it.
How It Works: The 40% Model
40% of profits from every bag of Serenity Shore Coffee sold goes directly to organizations doing the hard, on-the-ground work of rescue and survivor restoration. Not 40% of revenue after we've covered our own costs and called it generosity — 40% of actual profit, every time.
Why 40%? Two reasons: we went to hear someone speak about being clinically dead for 40 minutes and how God used that experience to change his life. We walked out of church that day and the number 40 hit us both. We knew it was 40% we were to give. Forty is also a Biblical number. The Israelites wandered 40 years in the wilderness and after the 40 they made it to the promised land. Jesus fasted and was tempted 40 days; at the end of the 40 he was ministered to. When people are being trafficked, they’re in their 40. When they get out of trafficking- that’s when they can be ministered to and healing begins.
When you buy a bag of Serenity Shore Coffee, a meaningful share of that purchase is already on its way to funding rescue, safe housing, and the long road of healing survivors walk afterward.
A Newton County Story
Richard and I are both Newton County natives. We got married in 2016 on Jekyll Island, and we've built our life and businesses here in Georgia. Serenity Shore Coffee carries that same hometown heart. It's two people who felt called to do something and decided coffee was how we'd do it.
What's Next
This is the first post in an ongoing series where we'll go deeper into our mission — what real impact looks like, how to talk to your family about trafficking prevention, and how you can be part of this with us, whether that's through a subscription, a fundraiser, or simply sharing what you learn here.
If this is your first time hearing our story, welcome. We're glad you're here.
Quick Takeaways
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Serenity Shore Coffee was founded in late 2025 by Richard and Wendy Burnham, Newton County natives.
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The idea was born from a shared, faith-based conviction — Wendy prayed about taking action against human trafficking, and Richard independently suggested coffee days later.
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40% of profits from every bag sold go directly toward anti-trafficking rescue and survivor support efforts.
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The brand's name and tagline — Breathe Deep. Sip Slow. Live Free.™ — are a deliberate contrast to what trafficking victims are denied: safety, rest, and freedom.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Serenity Shore Coffee founded? Serenity Shore Coffee launched in late 2025, founded by Richard and Wendy Burnham.
Why did you choose coffee instead of another product? Coffee is a repeat purchase people already make regularly, which meant it could fund rescue and restoration work on an ongoing basis rather than through a one-time donation or fundraiser.
What percentage of profits goes to anti-trafficking work? 40% of profits from every purchase goes directly to organizations working in rescue, safe housing, and survivor restoration.
What does "Breathe Deep, Sip Slow, Live Free" mean? It's a deliberate contrast between the quiet freedom most of us experience every morning over coffee and the freedom that trafficking survivors are denied — and a reminder of what each purchase is helping fund.
Is Serenity Shore Coffee a nonprofit? No. Serenity Shore Coffee is a for-profit coffee company that donates 40% of its profits to anti-trafficking organizations as part of its core business model.
Where is the store located? We don’t have a brick-and-mortar business, we’re 100% online at serenityshorecoffee.com.
How quickly can I get it? From the time the order is placed to the time you get fresh, small batch roasted, specialty grade coffee is usually 8 to 10 days depending on where in the country you’re located.
Wendy Burnham is a Newton County native, wife, caregiving daughter, stepmother, and grandmother of six. A proud Rotarian and member of RAGAS (Rotary Action Group Against Slavery), Walton County Chamber Ambassador, and Co-Chair of the Chamber’s Ignite Referral Group. She has recently been featured in Voyage ATL magazine. Together, she and her husband Richard own three businesses: In The Light Artistry, where Wendy paints oils and acrylics on canvas and creates murals; Salt Net Digital Agency, where they help small businesses grow their digital footprint and provide phone and AI solutions; and Serenity Shore Coffee — through which she found an unexpected way to fight human trafficking, one cup of coffee at a time.
Wendy has received training with TAPESTRI, Wellspring Living, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) on both labor and sex trafficking, and has received training through RAGAS on nihilistic violence. Her heart is to teach people ways to protect their loved ones and community members from trafficking and violence, how to report if you see something, and provide help for those already affected.
