About Us

About Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea

Built by First Responders. Made for People Who Don’t Get to Be Tired.

At Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea, coffee is more than something we drink in the morning.

For us, it was part of the job.

We’re Joe and Shelly, the founders of Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea. Joe is a retired Battalion Chief, and Shelly is a retired Paramedic. We spent our careers in emergency services, where long shifts, sleepless nights, missed meals, interrupted holidays, and 3 A.M. calls were simply part of life.

We know what it feels like when the tones drop just as you finally sit down.

We know what it’s like to finish one call and immediately get dispatched to another.

And we know how important it is to stay focused when somebody else is having the worst day of their life.

That experience is why we created Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea — coffee built by first responders for people who don’t get to be tired.

What Does “Code 3” Mean?

If you’ve worked in emergency services, you probably already know.

Code 3 means lights and sirens.

It means the call is urgent.

It means it’s time to move.

For us, the name represents more than an emergency response. It represents the men and women who answer the call every day — paramedics, EMTs, firefighters, police officers, 911 dispatchers, nurses, healthcare professionals, military personnel, and other hardworking people who keep going when everyone else is sleeping.

Code 3 represents showing up when someone needs you.

That’s the community we come from, and it’s the community this company was built to serve.

From the Ambulance and Firehouse to the Coffee Business

During our years in EMS and the fire service, coffee was always there.

It was around the station kitchen table.

It was in the ambulance between calls.

It was there during early-morning shift changes, training days, late-night paperwork, and conversations with partners after difficult calls.

Sometimes that cup of coffee was one of the few quiet moments during an otherwise chaotic shift.

After retiring, we missed more than the job.

We missed the camaraderie, teamwork, laughter, station conversations, and sense of family that comes from working alongside people who understand exactly what you’ve experienced.

Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea became our way of staying connected to that community.

We lived the life.

We understand the job.

And we haven’t forgotten the people still answering the calls.

Small-Batch Coffee, Roasted Fresh for Your Order

We believe people who work hard deserve better than coffee that has been sitting around waiting for someone to buy it.

That’s why Code 3 Rescue Coffee is roasted fresh when your order is placed.

Our coffee is produced in small batches to help deliver the freshness, aroma, and flavor we want in every cup.

After roasting, the beans are given a short resting period to properly degas before they’re packed and shipped to you.

Whether that bag is headed to your kitchen, ambulance station, firehouse, dispatch center, police department, hospital break room, or workplace, our goal is simple:

Send you coffee that’s fresh and ready for the next shift.

Coffee for First Responders — From People Who Understand the Job

We don’t believe first responders need another company pretending to understand their world.

We’ve lived it.

We know about the long shifts.

The missed family dinners.

The holidays spent at work.

The calls that make everyone laugh afterward.

And the calls you never completely forget.

We know the importance of the partner sitting next to you, the crew waiting back at the station, and the people who check on you after a difficult call.

That’s why Code 3 is about more than selling coffee.

It’s about supporting the culture and community that supported us for so many years.

Whether you’re EMS, fire, law enforcement, dispatch, nursing, healthcare, military — or simply someone working long hours who appreciates great coffee — there’s a seat for you at our table.

Our Mission

Our mission at Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea is simple:

Serve great coffee and tea while supporting the people who serve everyone else.

We want to provide quality coffee for first responders, healthcare workers, military personnel, night-shift workers, and hardworking people everywhere.

But we also want Code 3 to be a place that recognizes the people behind the uniform.

Because behind every ambulance, fire engine, patrol car, dispatch console, hospital bed, and uniform is a person.

A person with a family.

A person who gets tired.

A person who has good days and bad days.

And sometimes a person who simply needs to know somebody sees the work they’re doing.

We see you. We support you. And we thank you.

Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea is also proud to support the 1st Responders Children’s Foundation, with a percentage of sales helping support first-responder families.

Find Your Code 3 Coffee

Every shift is different, and so is everyone’s coffee.

Whether you need something bold for a long night, want to discover coffees from around the world, prefer flavored coffee, need the convenience of single-serve coffee, or want to stock the station, we’ve built a lineup with plenty of options.

Shop Coffee
Explore our full collection of small-batch coffee, including light, medium and dark roasts, blends, flavored coffees, single origins and specialty selections.

Try Max Caf
For those long shifts and early calls when ordinary coffee isn’t what you’re looking for, check out our Max Caf Blend.

Shop Coffee Sample Packs
Can’t decide? Try several Code 3 coffees and find the roast or blend that earns a permanent spot at the station.

Shop K-Cups, Pods & Capsules
When the tones are dropping and nobody has time to wait for a full pot, our single-serve options make grabbing a cup simple.

Shop Tea
Coffee isn’t your thing? Explore our selection of teas, including black tea, green tea, herbal options and specialty blends.

Shop Bundles
Looking for a gift for a firefighter, EMT, paramedic, nurse, police officer, dispatcher, or another hardworking person? Check out our Code 3 bundles.

From Our Family to Yours

Retirement may have taken us out of the ambulance and firehouse, but it didn’t take the first-responder family out of us.

We’ll always understand what it means when the tones drop.

We’ll always appreciate the people willing to answer the call.

And we’ll always believe there’s something special about sitting around a table with your crew and sharing a good cup of coffee.

Thank you for supporting our small business.

More importantly, thank you to everyone who continues to answer the call.

Stay safe. Watch each other’s six. Take care of your crew — and take care of yourself.

Joe & Shelly
Retired Battalion Chief & Retired Paramedic
Founders, Code 3 Rescue Coffee & Tea

Built by first responders for people who don’t get to be tired