About Us
About Us
Those who have lost their lives to addiction didn’t get their chance to live their great story, but we all still have time. So ask yourself, are you living a great story? With each bag of coffee purchased you’ll receive a LIVE sticker. We ask that you place it somewhere as a daily reminder to live in a way that makes you proud and then show us where you’ve put it by tagging us on social with the hashtag #dragonolia
Coffee with a cause!
The Inspiration
In honor of Justin Grant Fox, 3.30.79 ~ 12.5.18
Justin lost his life to a heroin overdose on December 5, 2018 and our lives were changed forever. The opioid epidemic continues to take beautiful souls like Justin, all around the world, every single day. We work tirelessly to break the stigma around addiction, through telling beautiful stories of recovery and beyond, every day. Our mission is to break the stigma around addiction so that we can conquer that shame and break free.
Finding beauty in the darkness
After my brother Justin died I fell into a deep, deep depression. I always thought I’d be prepared for that phone call because we had been struggling with Justin’s heroin addiction for many years. But not only was I not ready, it buried me in sadness in a way that I had never felt before and I found myself drinking every day to numb the pain. Almost one year after his death I had still not sent out thank you cards to everyone that showed up to his services and they sat in a box behind my desk as a daily reminder. Then one day, I saw an ad for Live A Great Story and I had an idea to write a letter to everyone that showed up, thank them, include a LIVE sticker and implore them to live a great story because Justin didn’t get his chance. I did that, and the response was phenomenal. But there was only one problem; the story I was living was pathetic. So in 2020, I made a commitment to change my story by quitting drinking for the entire year and taking up running. Those two decisions led me to Team Herren Project, where I also started to fundraise for their amazing organization.
Dragonolia, a combination of the dragonfly – Justin’s self appointed spirit animal – and the magnolia tree that I used to sit under with my mom, was born out of my visceral need to make sure that Justin and my mom’s struggle with addiction, and Justin’s untimely death due to overdose, would never be in vain. Not only did I watch my mom and brother struggle with the crippling shame that addiction causes, but I also saw how not talking about it kept them sick. I wanted to create a space where people could share their stories of recovery with pride, and people still struggling could find inspiration to maybe write their own. But I didn’t stop there. I also wanted to continue to raise money in Justin’s name to give back to the community of people who for so many years tried to save him – the recovery community. I found a great outlet in Herren Project and fundraised for them throughout 2020 and 2021 by running races around the country. However I knew I couldn’t continue to ask the same people to donate year in and year out, and so our coffee was born. I have run my family vending and coffee service business for 23 years, so this was a natural fit and something that I know in my heart would make both my mom, and Justin, very proud.
$1.00 from every bag of Dragonolia sold and 1% of the net profit from Fox Vending’s private label coffee goes into a Herren Project scholarship in Justin’s name. It is my hope – and the hope of my family – that this money will one day help people like Justin afford the help that they so desperately need, so that they too can live a great story of their own.
Thanks for being here!
The Inspiration
In honor of Justin Grant Fox, 3.30.79 ~ 12.5.18
Justin lost his life to a heroin overdose on December 5, 2018 and our lives were changed forever. The opioid epidemic continues to take beautiful souls like Justin, all around the world, every single day. We work tirelessly to break the stigma around addiction, through telling beautiful stories of recovery and beyond, every day. Our mission is to break the stigma around addiction so that we can conquer that shame and break free.
Proudly Supporting Herren Project
If you are an individual or family member affected by the disease of addiction, Herren Project can help. From finding quality treatment for drug or alcohol addiction to providing support for family members and loved ones, their trusted team and network is here to help you start the journey of getting the clinical and emotional support you need and deserve to find recovery.
Stories of triumph in the face of addiction
Every day, we hear from people all over the world who at some point in their lives have suffered from opioid addiction. We are truly inspired by these fighters and their willingness to share their stories in hopes that others can benefit from their experiences.