CT 2 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Welcome W
elcome to the CoffeeTalk Magazine 2009 Making a Difference E-Zine! This is an evolving experiment in publishing. We hope it delivers powerful information to you that is easily accessible and important. The E-Zine format allows CoffeeTalk to provide you with contentrich stories and links that greatly expand your experience. This format allows you, the reader, to develop a more intimate relationship with our writers and advertisers. The familiar format and interface does not require extensive computer experience, and…No trees died in the process! Is this type of publication the wave o f the future? We do not know, but we are proud to test it out and see if it works. You can demonstrate your support by contacting our sponsors and letting them know that you saw their ad in this E-Zine. Without the support of the advertisers, this format will not succeed.
How to use this document
O
ur flip book technology makes it easy to maneuver around in this E-Zine. Hover your mouse over any of the corners and you can turn the page with a click, or use the arrows on the sides. The drop down menus on the tool bar at the top let you roam around to any location in the magazine with just a click. Want a closer look at a page? Just click the magnifying glass and then click the story. Throughout the magazine there are hyperlinks that connect you to the Web, email, and other features. Navigating around is really easy, enjoy!
Our Sponsors T
his extraordinary document would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of the companies that sponsored advertising to cover the report’s costs. We appreciate their support of this report and encourage readers to support these sponsors too. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 3 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Editor’s Prologue By Miles Small, Editor- CoffeeTalk Magazine
O
nce again, CoffeeTalk is proud to host our annual E-Zine “Making a Difference” that highlights groups and individuals who are rising above dayto-day business considerations and giving back to coffee through volunteerism and good works. Turning the spotlight toward those who walk the extra mile for all of us is one of the most gratifying things we do here at CoffeeTalk. All of the non-profits highlighted in this E-Zine are looking for your financial, in-kind, and volunteer support to continue their positive missions in the coffeelands. We are living through difficult economic times, there is no doubt. The world economy is starting to show signs of recovery but it is a slow process. Much of the wealth in developed countries was an illusion and, when the bubble finally burst, this false wealth quickly evaporated. The global recession is most felt in the less developed countries that rely on consuming countries to purchase their exports. Coffee is just such a product. However, we cannot ignore our responsibilities to all the partners in the coffee supply chain. Give back somehow, even if you cannot donate cash! Volunteer, donate airline miles, and donate materials. Being ready to step forward and lend a hand when you see a need, regardless of the inconvenience or cost, is part of what sets our industry apart from others. Regardless of political or spiritual beliefs, we all seem to understand that there are things all of us can do to support our business partners in the coffeelands. Now is the time to act. Even if you decide to start paying more for coffee. Rick Peyser, in his article on the “Thin Months” (Los Meses Flacos – page 42) emphasizes that coffee does not exist within a country’s economy independently from the family, the group, the community, and the state. In most coffee growing regions in the world, coffee is the foundation upon which whole community economies are built. The goal of sustainable agribusiness practices in coffee is not only to ensure predictable and plentiful supply using fair pricing models with growers, but also ensure that the community at large is sustainable. Sustainable agribusiness affects the family, the schools, health care, infrastructure, town commerce, supporting vendor businesses, and much more.
As humans, we build our relationships with others in our world through associations that bring about positive or gratifying benefits to our families and ourselves. The inverse of that is that we fall into greater isolation and distance from the human mainstream when our associations block success and well-being. Frustrating, inadequate, and inaccessible services and benefits such as low quality healthcare, low economic opportunity, inadequate diet, inaccessible schooling, repressive government practices, healthful and plentiful water supply, political violence and uncertainty, and others all lead to isolation, fear, the “oppression of poverty,” and disenfranchisement from the greater society. All of the non-profits showcased in this edition are, in some way, striving to ease these challenges to the coffee communities. An interesting observation from these articles is that these groups are not just serving the coffee workers, but the broader communities that support coffee. Cup for Education is building schools that reach far beyond the farms. Libras de Amor (page 22) is teaching families and caregivers hygiene and child-rearing practice to stem the tide of infant malnutrition and disease. Access to information and resources is a universal need addressed by Freeplay, the windup radio project, and Children with Disabilities in Peru, and others. Isolating the scope of our vision limits the value. Gregory Clark, in his often profound book on historical economics, A Farewell to Alms (Princeton University Press; 2007) proposes that charity is only part of the equation and fails (and even increased poverty and misery) when not matched with rising wealth and economic well-being. Sustainable change must have, as an essential element profound changes in the business model between consuming countries and producing countries. Economic well-being changes all aspects of life. The coffee world is poised on the brink on another coffee crisis. We know all too well, what the implications are when the price for coffee does not justify the effort of growing coffee. Farms are abandoned, communities whither, and the supply of quality coffees drops. As Dean Cycon says in the Chica article (page 30), “when you buy coffee you are making a conscious effort to either improve the lives of coffee farmers or continue to stifle them.” © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 4 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Table of Contents 2 Welcome
20 Kenya Coffee Producers Association Market Access for small-scale Coffee Producers
3 Editor’s Prologue 22 FUSAL 6 Sponsor’s Index
Libras de Amor
8 Coffee Kids
24 Women in Coffee Alliance
Butcher Shop Project - Drug Store Project
of Costa Rica – Hogar Madre del Redentor
10 The Coffee Quality Institute The Q
26 Coffee Kids Women’s Microcredit and Savings Project
12 Coffee Kids Grocery Store in Rural Peru
28 Helping Children with Disabilities
in Cusco, Peru
14 Polus Center Coffeelands Trust
30 Deans Beans CHICA
16 Cup for Education The Little Bunnies Pre-School
32 Cup for Education El Paraíso Computer School
18 Grounds for Health Cervical Cancer Prevention
34 TransFair USA continued... © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 5 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
...continued
36 Equator Estate Coffees and Teas
44 Cisa Exportadora, Mercon Coffee Group
Pulp to Protein
Adopt a Child - Change a Life
38 Cup for Education
46 Rainforest Alliance
School Project in Las Cuchillas, Nicaragua
Conservation Through Education: The Rainforest Alliance’s Learning Site
40 UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside 48 Freeplay Foundation 42 Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Coffee Lifeline
Sustainable Solutions to “Los Meses Flacos” (the “Thin Months”)
Mail:
Phone:
HNCT, LLC, 25525 77th Ave SW Vashon, WA 98070 206.686.7378 Fax: 866.373.0392 www.coffeetalk.com
Since 1988 Owner/Publisher 877 426 6410 - Direct Line 206 795 4471 - Intl. Line
Kerri Goodman-Small, ext 222
Kerri@CoffeeTalk.com
Owner/Editor-in-Chief 206 795 2835 - Direct Line
Miles Small, ext 277
Miles@CoffeeTalk.com
Laurie Veatch, ext 252
Laurie@CoffeeTalk.com
Trudy Solberg, 503 577 6559 Libby Smith, ext 251
Trudy@CoffeeTalk.com Libby@CoffeeTalk.com
Linda Sanders, 914 574 5539
Linda@CoffeeTalk.com
Production Daily Dose Art Production Production Manager
Justin Goodman, ext 264 Marcus Fellbaum, ext 261
Justin@CoffeeTalk.com Marcus@CoffeeTalk.com
Founder Founder/CEO (Emeritus), retired
Ed Sanders, ext 23
EdS@CoffeeTalk.com
Administration Accounting, Subscriptions and Administration Advertising Marketing Partner Editorial Coordinator and Marketing Partner Marketing Partner
Hospitality News does not assume the responsibility for validity of claims made for advertised products and services. We reserve the right to reject any advertising. Although we support copyrights and trademarks, we generally do not include copyright and trademark symbols in our news stories and columns. Circulation: Hospitality News (ISSN 1084-2551) is mailed monthly (10 times per year) with combined June/July and November/December issues, also bonus mailing/ distribution for Education Guides and foodservice/hospitality and coffee conventions/shows throughout the year. Postmaster: Send address changes to HNCT, LLC, 23712 49th Ave SW, Vashon, WA 98070 Subscription: The cost of a subscription in the U.S. is $47.50 per year; in Canada, the cost is $72.00. Free to qualified industry professionals. Non-qualified requests may be rejected. Publisher reserves the right to limit the number of free subscriptions. For subscription inquiries, please call 206.686.7378 x51 or subscribe online at www.HospNews.com. Copyright © 2006, Hospitality News, All Rights Reserved.
© copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 6 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Sponsor’s Index Company.........................................Phone
Web Page
Page #
America’s Food Technologies, Inc./AMFOTEK.............708.532.1222
www.amfotek.com
15
ANACAFE/Guatemalan Coffees........................................
www.guatemalancoffees.com
31
Boyd Coffee Company..........................................................800.545.4077
www.boyds.com
11
Cafe de El Salvador................................................................503.2267.6600
www.salvadorancoffees.com
23
Capitol Cups..............................................................................334.321.3322
www.capitolcups.com
19
Cimbali USA, Inc.....................................................................312.265.8100
www.cimbali.us
47
Coffee Holding Company.....................................................800.458.2233
www.coffeeholding.com
17
DaVinci Gourmet/Oregon Chai/Jet...................................800.640.6779
www.davincigourmet.com
27
Equator Estate Coffee & Teas.............................................800.809.7687
www.equatorcoffees.com
37
F. Gavina & Sons.....................................................................800.428.4627
www.gavina.com/coffeehouse
45
International Paper Foodservice Business...................800.537.4141
www.ipfoodservice.com
49
Java Jacket..............................................................................800.208.4128
www.javajacket.com
13
Millrock......................................................................................800.645.7625
www.millrock.com
9
Probat Burns, Inc....................................................................901.363.5331
www.probatburns.com
25
S&D Coffee Inc........................................................................800.933.2210
www.sndcoffee.com
35
Scolari Engineering S.p.A....................................................856.988.5533
www.scolarieng.com
7
Smoothie Essentials Supplement-Boosts......................415.382.6535
www.smoothieessentials.com
29
Stix To Go...................................................................................800.435.6789
www.stixtogo.com
21
Superior Imaging Group/Identabrew®..........................888.872.5620
www.identabrew.com
43
Torn Ranch................................................................................800.721.1688
www.tornranch.com
41
Ultra Flex / ICA / Quality Packaging..................................718.272.9100
www.ultraflex.com
39 © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 8 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Coffee Kids
Butcher Shop Project - Drug Store Project
Contact Person - E-mail Address - Phone Number - Web Address - Project Name - Project Location -
Carolyn Fairman info@coffeekids.org 505 820-1443 www.coffeekids.org/aboutus/programs/#cecocafen CECOCAFEN - Microcredit and Scholarship Project Nicaragua
F
omCafé will manage two projects with Coffee Kids
are spoken in the state. People of the Zapotec and Mixtec
support this year. In the village of Los Naranjos
indigenous groups populate the communities served FomCafé’s
Esquipulas, a lack of adequate refrigeration and the
butcher shop and drug store project.
Each year thousands
community’s remote location make fresh, local sources for
of indigenous people leave Oaxaca’s hillside villages for the
meat a rarity. A group of women working with FomCafé’s
Northern states of Mexico or the United States. For some
microcredit project plan to open a local butcher shop to
of them migration is a necessity, not a choice, as they search
meet community demand. The butcher shop project is an
for work to support their families. The lack of opportunities
extension of FomCafé’s microcredit program encouraging
is accentuated by a repressive political system, which does
local entrepreneurship and will benefit the 900 residents of
little to help isolated, indigenous communities. These projects
Los Naranjos.
will provide valuable economic options for these and nearby
In the community of Zaragoza, a group of
women and men have identified a need for affordable access to
communities.
basic medicines. With the help of FomCafé and Coffee Kids,
the group will open a drug store that will benefit the 1,400
contribution helps support this program and others in coffee-
residents of the community.
farming communities throughout Latin America. We also
accept in-kind donations and airline miles.
The state of Oaxaca has the second-highest concentration
Coffee Kids is a donor-supported organization. Your cash
of indigenous people in Mexico. Over 16 indigenous languages
© copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
Display Cases & Modular Cafés
Ambient Operator Service
Refrigerated Operator Service
Top operator service easily converts to all Ambient, all Refrigerated or Both any time.
Refrigerated Grab N’ Go
Grab N’ Go Triple Zone
™
Self Service Grab N’ Go Refrigerated display drives unmatched impulse Sales all day and night.
Three Zones for maximum versatility! Learn more at: triplezone.com
CT 10 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
The Coffee Quality Institute The Q
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
T
Alexandra Katona www.coffeeinstitute.org The Q Long BeachUSA
he Coffee Quality Institute has developed and manages several different projects, all with the aim of improving the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it. For the past several years however, CQI has focused its attention on a single project, the Q. At the simplest level, the Q is a method of better identifying and differentiating high quality coffees at origin but CQI sees it as something with far more potential: a program that can greatly improve economic opportunities for the world’s coffee farmers. The program itself should be regarded more as an infrastructure – an entire system devoted to quality. Supporting this infrastructure are skilled coffee cuppers, individuals who serve on the front lines helping to identify quality, providing important feedback to producers and playing a critical role in determining the price a coffee ultimately earns in the marketplace. To date, CQI has trained tens of thousands of cuppers and has certified nearly 700 (known as Licensed Q Graders) through its professional accreditation class. The program also includes an international network of partners and nearly fifteen in-country partners to manage and oversee grading services, adhering to strict protocols designed to maintain integrity in the system. These partners, along with CQI, offer independent grading services, a third-party verification of coffee quality. This is an important role because when a coffee moves through the Q Coffee System and becomes verified as a Q Coffee, it signifies a coffee can be defined as specialty. With that designation, the coffee travels with an assurance of quality, one that will hopefully enhance its value. And therein lies the ultimate goal of the program: to build value in a way that ensures we can
deliver a quality cup of coffee to consumers while rewarding those who produce it. A new dimension of CQI’s work, not directly related to the Q but worth mentioning, is a new project to establish quality standards and a grading system for Robusta coffees. Much like the Q, this new system will help surface a greater number of quality coffees in the marketplace with the same intention of increasing their value. If that can be achieved, even by a small amount, the economic opportunities for coffee producers could be profound. With that view, CQI remains committed to its course of improving coffee and changing lives. By design, the Q should benefit the entire industry. It’s a tool to ensure the highest quality coffees are identified early in the supply chain before they are blended with other, potentially inferior coffees. This means the industry can and will continue to enjoy the quality of coffee it demands. Secondly, it creates a common language for quality making trading more efficient. Most importantly, the Q provides producers a tool to better understand quality of their coffee. Without that knowledge, it is difficult for coffee farmers to become a partner in the transaction, let alone play on a level playing field. The Q offers clarity and fosters transparency and we can never have an equitable system if half of that system is kept in the dark. How can you help out? -Buy Q Coffees -Request your coffees to be graded through the Q Coffee System -Become a Q Grader -Donate to the Coffee Quality Institute, a nonprofit 501c3 organization -Attend our luncheon at SCAA’s 22nd Annual Exposition in Anaheim, CA
© copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 12 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Coffee Kids
Grocery Store in Rural Peru
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
M
Carolyn Fairman www.coffeekids.org/aboutus/programs/ Grocery Store in Rural Peru Tabaconas ValleyPeru
erchants frequently take advantage of
isolated,
providing
contribution helps support this program and others in coffee-
products of inferior quality at increased
farming communities throughout Latin America. We also
rural
communities,
prices. APROVAT’s grocery store project, supported by Coffee
Coffee Kids is a donor-supported organization. Your cash
accept in-kind donations and airline miles.
Kids, will provide a group of 24 women with the capital and training needed to create and manage their own grocery store. The store also offers the women a venue in which they can sell homegrown products. The community benefits from the grocery store by having access to quality foodstuffs in a local setting.
APROVAT plans to reinvest the majority of profits
in new grocery stores in other communities and microcredit projects in the surrounding communities.
The Tabaconas Valley is a verdant coffee region in the
Northern Peruvian Andes sloping down to the Amazon Basin. Given its remote location, people lack options for employment and encounter difficulty in shipping their products out of the communities. APROVAT serves 100 coffee-farming families in this valley (about 500 people total).
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 14 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Polus Center Coffeelands Trust
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name -
W
Maggie Emery www.coffeelandstrust.org Coffeelands Trust
ith the number of landmine victims around the world increasing daily, it is more important than ever for humanitarian organizations to develop a broad base of supporters and advocates for victim assistance. The Polus Center is doing just this by managing the Coffeelands Trust, which engages the coffee industry in landmine victim assistance in coffee regions in Central and South America. The Coffeelands Trust provides funds for coffee farmers who have experienced a landmine accident, helping them make their farms productive once again. The Trust has received support from the U.S. Department of State, coffee companies such as Green Mountain, Dean’s Beans and Royal Coffee, and individual donors. In country, the Trust works through local non-profit and government agencies to bring new opportunities to landmine victims. The goal of the Coffeelands Trust is to help coffee farmers and their families return to work and once again engage in productive coffee farming. Alejandro, a thirty two year old landmine victim in Nicaragua, lost most of crops when he had to relocate to Managua for almost a year to recover from his injuries. Although the accident occurred over 10 years ago, Alejandro was never able to make his farm as productive as it was before the accident. Through the Coffeelands Trust, Alejandro received a micro-grant, with which he was able to buy tools and new plants. Now Alejandro is growing some of the finest organic coffee in Nicaragua. The Coffeelands Trust supports people in many different ways, from the provision of mobility aids and assistive technologies to micro-grants to help access educational opportunities. By working individually with each victim the Coffeelands Trust is helping farmers throughout Latin America access new opportunities to be able to once again support themselves and their families. Many major coffee producing countries have been the
sites of intense conflict. In fact, six of the top ten coffee exporters have moderate to severe landmine problems. Landmines prevent farmers from using their land, they make roads to markets impassible and they threaten, injure or kill farmers and their families. Landmine victims, their families, and entire communities benefit when every person can be a productive member of society. The Coffeelands Trust provides direct assistance to coffee farmers and their families who have been injured or negatively impacted by landmines. Beneficiaries receive a wide variety of support and aid, whatever is necessary to help farmers once again establish healthy and productive coffee farms. Donations to the Coffeelands Trust will help hundreds of coffee farmers return to work, support their families and contribute to their communities. With support from the international coffee industry, the Coffeelands Trust can give hope, once again, to coffee farmers around the world. You can help with cash donations, which can be made at www.coffeelandstrust.org.
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 16 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Cup for Education The Little Bunnies Pre-School Contact - Web- Location -
Karen Gordon www.cupforeducation.org Los Cacaos, Dominican Republic
I
n 2007 Hurricane Noel struck the small country of
This space is not large enough nor is it conducive to teaching
the Dominican Republic creating deadly mudslides
children from a physical or an emotional standpoint. It is
and horrific flooding in the remote villages. Many
now the priority of the teachers to purchase a permanent
people were lost, and many small coffee farms, homes,
space for the education and care of these children so that
schools, and infrastructure were wiped out.
when their mothers are working they have the opportunity
to thrive.
The women coffee producers in the Municipal District
of Los Cacaos depend on childcare that is provided to them
by the Little Bunnies Preschool for their small children ages
There is a need for it to continue. If the facilitators are able
3-5 years old. This preschool provides the women a safe
to purchase a permanent home for the school, the quality
and educational place they can leave their children while
of the education will dramatically increase. Currently,
they are harvesting the coffee. The children thrive there
they must move from year to year and with that comes
with the instruction and care provided by two wonderful
unnecessary problems with the care and education of
volunteer teachers.
children. By providing a stable environment, this preschool
will better serve the women and the community, who
The Little Bunnies Preschool was completely destroyed
This preschool has been operational for eight years.
by the intense flooding brought by Noel. Also wiped out
depend on it.
were all the structures in the village. Since that time,
the school has relocated to a very small one room rented
construction of the new Little Bunnies Pre-School, please
building approximately 20 feet by 20 feet in size. There are
contact Karen Gordon at Cup for Education,
no less than 40 children in this tiny space.
kgordon@coffeeholding.com.
For additional information or to donate to the
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 18 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Grounds for Health Cervical Cancer Prevention
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
August Burns www.groundsforhealth.org Cervical Cancer Prevention Waterbury, United States
I
n many countries where coffee is grown, cervical cancer rates are among the highest in the world. However, this disease is both preventable and, when caught early, one of the most treatable cancers. The mission of Grounds for Health is to bring effective cervical cancer screening and treatment to women in the coffee-growing communities of Mexico, Central America and in 2009 Tanzania. Grounds for Health uses an innovative method called Single Visit Screen & Treat Approach, which has been endorsed by the World Health Organization. The people who benefit are the woman and families in these coffee growing regions. Cervical cancer kills women in their prime, devastating their families and communities. This program has a significant positive impact on these families and the communities in which they live. You can help with donations and volunteering.
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 20 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Kenya Coffee Producers Association Market Access for small-scale Coffee Producers
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
Ruth Kyatha www.kcpa.or.ke Market Access for small-scale Coffee Producers Nairobi, Kenya
The Kenyan Coffee Producers Association (KCPA) and GET Foundation are aiming to improve market access and market information for Kenyan coffeegrowers. In 2006 the Kenyan government opened up the coffeemarket by introducing the direct sales possibility. In the past farmers could only sell their coffee through the auction. This project offers coffeegrowers the possibility to sell their product via an international e-commerce trading platform (eFresh. com). In addition to offering a direct sales-channel, this trading platform also offers the producers market and price information. Objectives: Improvement of the capacity of the coffeegrowers in advanced use of ICT and development of knowledge in and experience with e-marketing. Increased efficiency in product sales of the producers through ICT based digital marketing materials and e-commerce Improvement of the negotiation position of the producers through access to specific market information services and market price information. Method: The cooperatives that KCPA supports will be included on the international trading platform (eFresh. com). This will enable them to offer their products to buyers worldwide. The coffeegrowers can also promote their company through the internet and receive market information. They will receive training on marketing, e-commerce, export and practical use of the trading platform by GET Foundation. The Kenya Coffee Producers Association and their members will receive continual support from GET Foundation Results: We expect to increase the earnings of the coffeegrowers through trade on the international platform. The producers will be capacitated to use advanced ICT and
they will be able to market their product on this trading platform. Finally they will feel empowered because they will have a new channel to sell their products; this will increase their bargaining position. KCPA and GET Foundation have selected 7 cooperatives to take part in this project, these are: Othaya Farmers Cooperative, Thangaini Farmers Cooperative, Mukiria Farmers Cooperative, Komothai Coffee Growers Cooperative, Karuhiu Utheri Farmers Cooperative, Mutego Farmers Cooperative and Kakuyuni Farmers Cooperative. These cooperatives are mostly located in the central part of Kenya, between Nairobi and Mount Kenya. The cooperatives are different in size: one of the cooperatives supports 900 coffeegrowers and owns one simple plant to dry and process the green beans, where another supports almost 14 thousand coffeegrowers and owns 7 plants. What unites the cooperatives is that they want to sell and market their coffee in a different way than they have done before. The farmers who are members of the cooperatives are mostly small-scale farmers that work the land with their whole family in the high-seasons. The farmers are disappointed by the way their coffee was sold in the past and they hope that this direct-sales possibility offers them a chance to get a fair price for their product. The opportunity to sell their coffee through the trading platform still sounds like a distant option, but the GET Foundation and KCPA are going to change that in the coming years. GET Foundation and KCPA want to build a stable and lasting relationship with their partners; therefore we will support the cooperatives for three years. The success of the project depends first and foremost on capacity building of KCPA and the cooperative Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 22 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
FUSAL
Libras de Amor
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
I
Doris Macias www.librasdeamor.org Libras de Amor Santa Ana VolcanoeEl Salvador
n October 2004, FUSAL created the integrated nutrition program Libras de Amor, with the goal of significantly reducing childhood malnutrition as a strategy to fight poverty. The program has been designed to fight the primary causes of malnutrition and it provides health services to families, but at the same time, it also teaches families and caretakers healthy hygiene and child-rearing practices as well as skills that can help families increase their income and ensure their food security. Libras de Amor focuses on the rural municipalities with infant malnutrition rates over 25%. In each of the municipalities it serves, Libras de Amor establishes a team comprised of a doctor, a nutritionist, a nurse, a social worker and an income generation specialist or agricultural consultant. In addition to significantly reducing malnutrition in our country, we have also committed ourselves to helping to create a culture of generosity and solidarity among all Salvadorans. We have created a diversified fundraising program that solicits donations from business as well as individuals and
institutions so that all can participate according to their resources. We have come to understand that malnutrition perpetuates poverty by turning children into less productive adults due to diminished intelectual and physical capacities. While a proper nutrition prepares the foundations for a healthy and productive life, and therefore, a healthy and productive society. Even though a lot has been accomplished, there is more to be done. So far we are have helped over 65,000 people, most of them women and children. But the malnutrition rate in El Salvador is still a great problem and we wish to help even more salvadoreans. Libras de Amor is an integral program that works with the entire family clan, but it focuses on children under 5, pregnant and nursing women. We work with the communities to help them improve their habits and lifestyles among each other through the establishment of projects that teach them to be aware of the resources that surround them and how they can take advantage of them. You can help with cash donations.
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 24 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Participación deaños lasde niñas pe las niñ Compartir 15 de las jóvenes Women in Coffee Alliance Participación of Costa Rica – Hogar Madre del Redentor
Contact Name - Project Name - Project Location -
Sister Nidia Sanchez, nidyhtc@hotmail.com Hogar Madre del Redentor San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica
Participación de las niñas pequeñ
H
ogar Madre del Redentor is a home lead by nuns of the order “Hermanas Terciarias Capuchinas de la Sagrada Familia” They take care of all
the abandoned and abused girls in the community that are consider at very high social risk, and are 18 years old and under. The objective of the Hogar is to provide the girls with a home were they can live and grow under a very religious image. They go to school, the nuns celebrate their birthdays, school graduations and every other significant day.
Eucaristía de acción de gracias Participación de las niñas jóvenes.
y
proteger la ecologia.de las n Participación
Participación de las niñas y jóve proteger la ecologia. proteger la ecologia.
These abandoned girls, from 5 to 18 years old, are at
social risk. They where psycologically, physically, and sexually abused in their homes, often by their own parents.
You can help these girls through supplies, cash
acción de los sacramentos
donations, in-kind donations.
Celebraciónde de los Celebración lossacramentos sacramen
Graduación de sexto grado Compartir 15 años de las jóvenes
Celebración de los sacr
© copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 26 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Coffee Kids
Women’s Microcredit and Savings Project
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
Carolyn Fairman www.coffeekids.org/aboutus/programs/ Women’s Microcredit and Savings Project Chajul, Guatemala
A
CMUV began their Coffee Kids-supported
their parent organization, The Chajulense Association. That
microcredit and savings program last year
program currently benefits 45 indigenous women.
to address the lack of economic opportunity
Chajul is located in the Ixil Triangle, an indigenous area
available to women in Chajul and the surrounding
in the Cuchumatan Mountain Range. Most people farm
communities. Over 85 women now have access to credit.
small coffee plots as their primary form of income. Women
A variety of small businesses have been created, including:
have traditionally worked as weavers crafting bright, colorful
small grocery stores, weaving and handmade palm basket
blouses, skirts and headwraps for their families and trade.
businesses, and agricultural production. This year, ACMUV
Members of ACMUV are indigenous Mayan women; most
is working to build the group to 130 women. The project will
of them speak only the Ixil language. The community suffers
provide the funds and training necessary to establish small
from high rates of unemployment, lack of infrastructure and
businesses or improve existing ventures. Project administrators
elevated mortality rates.
and participants recently improved their accounting and
organizational skills through a workshop with a Coffee Kids’
contribution helps support this program and others in coffee-
partner working on a similar project in Veracruz, Mexico.
farming communities throughout Latin America. We also
Women from ACMUV first began working with Coffee Kids
accept in-kind donations and airline miles.
Coffee Kids is a donor-supported organization. Your cash
in 2007 through a textile and weaving project managed by © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
DaVinci Gourmet® salutes the 2009 U.S. Barista Championship Top Bean: Mike Phillips of Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago, IL. A barista for 2+ years, Mike is an integral part of Intelligentsia’s revolution of brewing each cup to order. Thanks to Mike for setting a high standard in barista excellence. You’re a true coffee artist.
©2009 Kerry
learn more about DaVinci Gourmet at 800-640-6779 or davincigourmet.com
CT 28 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Helping Children with Disabilities in Cusco, Peru Contact Name- e-mail- Project Name- Project Location-
Maxim Vershinin childreninperu@gmail.com Helping Children with Disabilities Cusco, Peru
I
n Cusco, Peru, lack of social support, limited opportunities for education, employment and participation in the community isolate disabled children and their families, leading to increased levels of stress and hardship. Ultimately, abusers, who see them as easy victims, often target them. Traditional family values often consider a disabled member of the family as a curse or punishment for some wrong. They are isolated and stigmatized, and often excluded from opportunities to learn to read, write, and even walk. Currently in Cusco there are no support centers for development of disabled children. Almost all children with disabilities in Peru have no opportunities to develop to their full potential. Objectives: • Provide disabled children (ages 13 and up) with an occupation, organized in workshops in the production of traditional Peruvian handcrafts. • Cusco is a top destination for travelers visiting famous landmarks such as Machu Picchu. Interaction with local communities is a very popular choice for tourists that visit Cusco. We are planning to create an interaction program between disabled children and foreign visitors, giving tourists the opportunity to know more about the Peruvian culture and also a chance to contribute to the kids’ development.
• Tourists can spend an afternoon with the kids helping them to build a handcrafted project (Peruvian traditional handcrafts, jewelry, souvenirs) that later tourists can purchase. Approximately, forty percent of the money received from tourists will go to the project fund, and the remaining sixty percent goes to the children and their families. Through this, the children will have an opportunity to generate income for their household and shape their confidence and craftsmanship skills. Execution: Most importantly, we have the confirmed support of a number of organizations in Cusco. Qosqo Maki is an institution that works with homeless children. They have created workshops for the children to build a variety of products that they sell in local shops and at fairs and festivals during the holidays. Qosqo Maki has an international fund to support its services. We will use Qosqo Maki’s experience and knowledge to create the same line of workshops for disabled children. They have offered their support and their willingness to make our project permanent. Working through travel agencies, the experiential activity of working with local children to produce a handmade treasure for a lifetime remembrance will be an event to cherish for tourist and an opportunity to shine for children who are otherwise neglected.
© copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
Need A Boost?
Essential scoops of the herbal, vitamin and mineral blends your body needs, in the drink your taste buds want.
.com
™
0% COLOR 0% TASTE 100% ESSENTIAL ANTIOXIDANT BLEND MULTI-VITAMIN BLEND Helps fight infection and increase your immune function.*
All the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals for good health.*
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 4.6 grams - 15 Calories
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 6.0 grams - 15 Calories
ENERGY BLEND
PROTEIN BLEND
Help fight fatigue, increase stamina and boost vitality.*
This blend includes the best of both whey and soy proteins.*
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 5.0 grams - 20 Calories
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 6.0 grams - 15 Calories
FAT STRIPPER BLEND
SMART BLEND
Helps promote healthy weight loss by increasing your metabolism.*
Helps improve mental alertness and increase blood flow to your brain.*
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 5.4 grams - 20 Calories
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 4.8 grams - 20 Calories
FLU FIGHTER BLEND
WOMEN’S BLEND
Helps you avoid the latest flu strain by strengthening your immune system.*
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 4.7 grams - 15 Calories
Helps improve the appearance of skin and nails.*
Serving Size: 1 Scoop: 6.0 grams - 20 Calories
*Notice: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. For ingredients and allergy information please visit www.smoothieesentials.com.
CT 30 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Deans Beans CHICA
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
C
Dean Cycon www.deansbeans.com/ CHICA Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
HICA- Communidades Hermanas de Inteligentes con Corazones Abiertos (translated Communities of Intelligent Sisters with Open Hearts) provides workshops and scholarship money for indigenous teenage girls (ages 14-18) in communities of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala through collaboration with APROS, a women’s health organization based in San Pedro Guatemala. CHICA was created by three Amherst, MA high school students, Sarah Cycon, Jasmine Costello and Kayla Zibbell, with the desire to learn through the exchange of experience and provide Guatemalan teens with a safe space in which to explore and reflect on their lives as young women in their communities. This past summer the three students lived in San Pedro, and conducted a five-week health and social forum for the girls. The workshops were comprised of discussion, art projects, and community building activities concerning themes such as family, future, and being a woman, in hopes of promoting girls’ self confidence and empowerment. CHICA is the first ever Guatemalan girls’ social forum. In addition, they provided their Guatemalan CHICA counterparts with a scholarship for a year of school. The main goal for the future of CHICA is to develop its social and economic sustainability so that the girls can generate funds to run their own program and scholarship fund. After conversations with APROS and the girls,
CHICA decided to begin this process through the development of a business. After a very positive experience with pizza making, something that is rarely available in the towns, it was decided that the girls could make pizza and other baked goods to sell during festivals; thus generating a source of income. This summer CHICA plans to begin this process and spend a day cooking with each of the groups and hope to create a Guatemalan-American cookbook as well as continue the group work that was begun last year. In 2008 though fundraising and donations enough money was raised to provide each of the 40 participants with a scholarship for a year of school at the local public school in their communities with hopes that more fundraising will allow CHICA to include more girls and even increase the amount given to them. Upon returning to Guatemala in February 2009 CHICA saw that many of the girls used the money to move out of their towns to pursue a career track offered elsewhere- an opportunity made possible by CHICA. Dean’s Beans participated in the funding of this project because we look at our business partners as people. Coffee farmers don’t live in a vacuum, they have families, live in communities and social systems just like us. When you buy coffee you are making a conscious effort to either improve the lives of coffee farmers or continue to stifle them. As American’s we know how important it is for teenage girls to have good self esteem and are putting our foot forward to help instill that in the lives of these Guatemalan teenagers as well. To us helping CHICA is the icing on the cake to our already stringent Fair Trade practices. Contribution to the CHICA Scholarship fund can be sent to Dean’s Beans, 50 R.W. Moore Rd, Orange, MA, 01364, Payable to “Dean’s Beans CHICA project” © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
It’s All About
Our People Marisol Ruiz Socop has the perfect demeanor to manage the coffee mill. It is a job that requires discipline and intelligence. Her dedication has earned her the respect of her mostly male co-workers, who have learned, as she says, that “not only men can work.” More importantly for her family however, she has opened up a world for her daughters who now believe the can grow up to be anything they want.
More stories on www.guatemalancoffees.com/people
www.guatemalancoffees.com
CT 32 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Cup for Education El Paraíso Computer School
Contact Name – Karen Gordon e-mail - kgordon@coffeeholding.com Project Name - El Paraíso Computer School Project Location - La Democracia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, June 2009
E
l Paraíso is a small village located 215 miles west of
appropriate
Guatemala City, 4,800 feet above sea level. Most
activities for
of the 600 families that live in the region depend
their ages.
on the coffee market. There are 6 other villages (Peña Roja,
Until
La Barranca, El Boqueroncito, Bojonal, and El Aguacate)
only a basic computer course was offered. It started early
involved in coffee near El Paraiso. The Development
in the year, and ended in October, just as our national
Centre provides health and educational facilities for all of
education system. Unfortunately, once they completed
these communities.
the course, their interest in coming back to class dropped
drastically. Therefore, the need to provide another type of
In 2006 Coffee Care together with Cup for Education
initiated a computer program. The lessons are taught in a
now,
educational program was identified.
building that is also home to a clinic and a pharmacy.
In addition, the computers
A doctor, a nurse, and one computer teacher have
were not functioning properly.
been working at the center
Only 5 out of the original 10
for over 3 years. The funds
turned on. Therefore, many
used in projects and activities
of the students that wanted
are taken from the savings
to take part in this course
account of the center through the payments
were not accepted.
to the doctor, and the small fee paid by every
In order to find a solution, Cup for
student for the computer class. The cost of the
Education was contacted, Eight thousand
course is Q.20.00 per month – this is less than
American dollars were donated to El Paraiso
US$3.00.
for computers and programs.
One of the main purposes of the computer
El Paraiso needs additional donations to
program was to give children and teenagers an
purchase additional programs, equipment,
alternative to coffee collection. Usually, these
and repairs to the building, the roof leaks and
young boys and girls are forced to work in the
it is very expensive to repair.
fields helping their parents. With this program they are motivated to participate in more © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
Cup for Education’s mission is to help poor, rural coffee communities around the world build schools within their communities, and assist in providing them with teachers and the basic tools needed to educate the future generations of coffee farmers. Remember those back to school adventures shopping for your new loose-leaf or spiral notebook, the perfect pencil case, or the coolest book covers? In in these rural communities there are no pencils to put in those cases, nor books to cover. The children in these areas do not have the basics. With our help though, they can have the materials they need to study hard, create a better future, improve their coffees, their lives, and their countries. A little goes a long way in these countries. For $1,900 you can sponsor a teacher for an entire year in Nicaragua. You can put a roof on a school for $500. Imagine how many pencils $25 can buy. Books cost money, and many of the schools do not supply them to the students. These are just some of the ways your donations can help.
Library created through raffle held at SCAA 2003. Jinotega, Nicaragua
Please join in our cause of improving the educational situation of our partners in this wonderful industry of coffee. As we send our kids off to school with their backpacks weighted down with books after downing our morning java, let’s give a thought to who picked the beans, processed them, and helped create that wonderful brew.
Cup for Education is a non-profit organization with 503(C) tax-exempt status. 100% of all donations go to our projects.
Donations can be sent to: Students at the Solidarity School in “Los Alpes” Jinotega, Nicaragua
Cup For Education P.O. Box 140706 Staten Island, NY 10314
The teacher on the right was sponsored by Coffee Holding Company (Brooklyn, NY) through a Cup for Education project
CT 34 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
TransFair USA TransFair USA Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
T
Katie Barrow www.fairtradecertified.org TransFair USA Oakland, USA
ransFair USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is one of more than twenty members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. We audit transactions between U.S. companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid a fair, above-market price. In addition, annual inspections conducted by FLO ensure that strict socioeconomic development criteria are being met using increased Fair Trade revenues. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffeeand a wide variety of other agricultural products. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards. These standards, also known as the Fair Trade principles, include: fair prices, fair labor conditions, direct trade, democratic and transparent organizations, community development, and environmental sustainability. Although TransFair USA now certifies an increasing number of products, TransFair first started certifying coffee in 1999, and today Fair Trade Certified coffee is the fastestgrowing segment of the U.S. specialty coffee market. Since 1999, TransFair USA has certified more than 338 million pounds of coffee imported into the U.S. (including almost 229 million pounds of certified organic coffee), resulting in over 143 million dollars in extra revenue for farmers and producer organizations. Most small-scale family farmers live in remote locations, and are dependent on local middlemen (known as “coyotes” in Latin America) to purchase their coffee, often at a fraction of its worth. Fair Trade, however, guarantees farmers a set minimum price for their coffee ($1.25 per pound for washed Arabica, plus an organic differential of $.20 if the coffee is certified organic) and links farmer-run cooperatives directly with US importers, cutting out middlemen and creating the conditions for long-term sustainability. Fair Trade certification benefits over one million farmers and farm workers in 58 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Fair Trade certification enables consumers to vote for a better world with their dollars, simply by looking for the Fair Trade Certified label on the products they buy. The extra money brought in by Fair Trade certification enables cooperatives and their members to not only have a better standard of living, but also to invest
in community projects such as building schools, providing healthcare and improving the quality of their coffee. For example, the Abekundekawa Cooperative in Rwanda used the added Fair Trade revenues to construct a more efficient coffee washing station that limits the amount of water needed to process the coffee. Deep in the Colombian rainforest, in the remote village of Río Sucio, the Asprocafé Ingruma cooperative uses their Fair Trade revenues to fund education for all members, to improve the local roads, bridges, and water system, and to host monthly training sessions on sustainable and organic farming techniques. In Brazil, Fair Trade has allowed the coffee cooperative Coopfam to successfully compete with large-scale coffee estates, enabling the cooperative to go so far as to win the award for the best Fair Trade Certified natural coffee in Brazil. In addition to this great honor, the Fair Trade premium has provided Coopfam members with healthcare coverage, computer education programs for children, and electricity for all. How can you help? 1. Vote with your money by buying products bearing the Fair Trade Certified label. 2. Read about why we need Fair Trade and how it benefits farmers, farm workers and the environment at www.FairTradeCertified.org. 3. Join our online communities by subscribing to our e-newsletter, the Fair Trade Beat, and be our friend on Facebook and Twitter. 4. Tell everyone you know about Fair Trade and encourage them to buy Fair Trade Certified products. 5. Fair Trade items make wonderful gifts! 6. Make a taxdeductible contribution to TransFair USA to support our work with farmers and farm workers. 7. Fair Trade House Parties, film screenings and product tastings are a great way to raise awareness in your community. 8. If you don’t see Fair Trade products in your favorite coffee shop or grocery store, ask for them! Store managers respond well to consumer demand for sustainable goods. 9. Enjoy Fair Trade products like tea and coffee at your place of worship. 10. Sell Fair Trade chocolate and other items as a fundraiser for your school, church or community group. 11. Get involved with a local Fair Trade group in your community or school-and if a group doesn’t exist, start one! 12. Celebrate! October is Fair Trade Month and World Fair Trade Day happens ever 2nd Saturday in May. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CoffeeTalk
Š copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2007
www.CoffeeTalk.com
35 December 2007
CT 36 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Equator Estate Coffees and Teas Pulp to Protein Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
C
Helen Russell www.thanksgivingcoffee.com/blog/2009/04/from-coffee-pulp-to-protein-the-next-stepto-feeding-those-who-need-it-most/ Pulp to Protein Kigoma, Tanzania
hido Govero, a dynamic 23-year old orphan
culinary flourish in the American diet – offer superior
from rural Zimbabwe, is training fellow orphan
nutrition, and have the potential to dramatically contribute
girls to grow critically-needed food – using
to food security. Govero became fascinated with the humble,
little more than coffee pulp and grass clippings – and
accessible and nutritious mushroom, and became an expert
receiving vital support from California-based artisan coffee
at making it flourish with simple materials available to
company, Equator Coffees, and the ZERI Foundation which
even a homeless orphan. She is now cultivating foraged
specializes in international sustainable development. This
mushroom spores from local forests in mulch composed
week, Equator introduced Chido’s Blend™, a blend of
of discarded organic materials, such as fallen leaves and
three African coffee beans, with 100% of profits supporting
the husks from coffee beans. She teaches girls to find the
Govero’s remarkable work. Govero, who is featured on the
mushrooms in their local environments and cultivate them
label, will use proceeds to build housing, as well as to support
for food and income.
training programs in many coffee-growing countries, the first
of which takes place in mid-July in neighboring Tanzania.
sale of Chido’s Blend TM, is working first in Tanzania, in
“Chido is an inspiration to all women entrepreneurs
the Kigoma region with a group of 50 participants from
who work for social change,” said Helen Russell, Co-
the local coffee growing community. This pilot project is
founder and CEO of San Rafael-based Equator Coffees
supported by Equator Estate Coffees and Teas, Sustainable
(www.EquatorCoffees.com), a woman-owned company
Harvest, and the Zeri Foundation.
known both for social responsibility and an obsession with
artisan coffees. Russell met recently with Govero, who
cultivate mushrooms using waste collected from the
traveled to the U.S. to visit with leaders in the specialty
processing of coffee, as well as other grass clippings. After
coffee industry. “Chido’s Blend will raise funds critical to
the initial training Chido and her team will return to
the success of her efforts, and inspire coffee lovers to look
Kigoma for a follow-up meeting and training with the
deeper into the power of their morning cup. This takes
local leaders of the Pulp to Protein Project. From these
cause coffee to an entirely new level.
trainings the local leaders will train women in neighboring
communities, spreading the benefits of Pulp to Protein.
Govero was a rescued from an orphanage by a local
The Pulp to Protein project supported in part by the
During this training participants will learn how to
scientist working with the Zeri Foundation. Her colleagues
How can you help? 1. Awareness of this sustainability
in the university discovered that for communities lacking a
model. 2. Roasters have the power to spread the word to
consistent supply of food, mushrooms – which are a mere
growers. 3. Funds to support the project. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
(800) 809-7687 San Rafael, CA www.EquatorCoffees.com
©2009 EQUATOR ESTATE COFFEES & TEAS®
CT 38 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Cup for Education
School Project in Las Cuchillas, Nicaragua Contact - Email - Location -
Karen Gordon kgordon@coffeeholding.com Las Cuchillas, Nicaragua
O
n July 19th, 2009 construction will begin
to the unpaved roads, and natural disasters that can occur
on a new primary school in Las Cuchillas,
up in these areas of the country. Education will remain
Nicaragua. This community is a member
central in the community.
of the cooperative Soppexcca in Jinotega, Nicaragua. The
students currently attend class in the houses of different
by the Cooperative, Soppexcca from Fair Trade proceeds,
members of the community, by different individual teachers.
and Cup for Education will finance the rest of it. Most of
However, these conditions are not adequate for the children
the work will be done by the members of the cooperative.
to receive the appropriate, quality education they need to
Together, Soppexcca, and Cup for Education will achieve
improve their lives. The members of the community, and
our goals together, bringing education to the children of the
Soppexcca believe strongly in education, and it’s extremely
coffee farmers, who work so hard to provide an invaluable
importance to their success in the future to bring about
commodity to the world. Building schools is the foundation
change.
of Cup for Education’s mission and we are on our way to
achieving this and more among the children of Soppexcca
The new school will greatly improve the learning
Moneys are being contributed for the construction
conditions for the children of Las Cuchillas and nearby
in Jinotega, Nicaragua.
communities. The school will be built within the parameters
set by the minister of education in Nicaragua to achieve the
checks payable to:
greatest goals for the children. The new school will benefit
Cup for Education
P.O. box 140706
Staten Island, NY 10314
Note: Las Cuchillas
102 students. With the construction of a new school central to the community, a safer, and improved learning
To make a contribution to the building fund send
environment will be created. Some students otherwise must walk long distances over unsafe roads to attend schools in other communities, and encounter numerous dangers due © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 40 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name -
Graham Mitchell www.utzcertified.org UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside
U
TZ CERTIFIED Good Inside is dedicated to creating an open and transparent marketplace for agricultural products. Founded in 2002, UTZ has been an innovative pioneer in the field of certification and traceability of coffee supply chains. Based on this success, UTZ is developing sustainability models for other sectors, primarily cocoa, tea, and palm oil, among others. UTZ CERTIFIED’s vision is to achieve sustainable agricultural supply chains in which farmers are professionals implementing good practices, industry takes responsibility by demanding and rewarding sustainably grown products, and consumers buy products that meet their standard for social and environmental responsibility. Since its founding, UTZ CERTIFIED has set the world standard for professional coffee growing and sourcing with care for local communities and the environment. UTZ CERTIFIED cooperatives, estate farms, and producer groups comply with the UTZ Code of Conduct and independent third-party auditors inspect them. UTZ CERTIFIED acts as a credible tool for coffee farmers, cooperatives, and producers to demonstrate their coffee production in a professional way. Farmers and growers show they comply with socially and environmentally appropriate growing practices and efficient farm management. In addition, UTZ CERTIFIED’s tool provides roasters and brands with the ability to incorporate and credibly demonstrate responsible sourcing practices for their entire coffee production process. UTZ CERTIFIED’s system benefits producers, importers, roasters and consumers by creating a transparent, traceable, sustainable coffee supply chain. UTZ producers benefit from higher yields, healthier working environments, better prices for their crop, and increased market access through improved business practices. Importers and roasters benefit from the UTZ system through improved credible access to sustainable coffee sources, transparent marketing, and valuable assistance in growing the market for sustainable coffee. Consumers benefit from the UTZ CERTIFIED traceability system by improving their ability to make informed purchasing choices regarding the sustainability of the coffee that they purchase, as well as direct access to information on the farms that grew their coffee. Please contact UTZ for more information. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
2009 WORLD TEA EXPO WINNER “BEST NEW PRODUCT – TEA AS AN INGREDIENT”
O R IG IN AL TEA COOKIES We have selected fine teas from China, India, Sri Lanka, and Africa, infusing them into our exclusive cookie recipes. All natural and kosher dairy. GREEN TEA JASMINE
•
MASALA CHAI
HIBISCUS WITH LEMON OIL
Tel. 415.506.3000
•
•
•
ORANGE PEKOE WITH BLACK TEA
ROOIBOS WITH GUAVA
www.tornranch.com
•
•
PEPPERMINT CHILL
Gourmet Housewares Booth #3871
CT 42 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Sustainable Solutions to “Los Meses Flacos” (the “Thin Months”) Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
Rick Peyser www.greenmountaincafe.com/2008/10/the-strategic-summit-nicaragua-april-23-2008/ Sustainable Solutions to “Los Meses Flacos” (the “Thin Months”) MatagalpaNicaragua
I
n Central American coffee communities, there are
GMCR is sponsoring two Masters Fellows at the
certain months of the year when family farmers
University of Vermont (under Prof. Ernesto Mendez) who
are unable to maintain their normal diets. It is a
will help monitor and evaluate the project, while providing
phenomenon so common it has a name: “Los meses flacos,”
CECOCAFEN with valuable analysis. In addition, the
or the thin months; yet many in our industry have never
Tuck School at Dartmouth is sponsoring an intern who will
heard of it.
help farmers diversify into products that are marketable in
A few months after the coffee harvest ends, most
local and perhaps national markets to supplement their
farming families have largely depleted their earnings from
livelihoods. In addition, GMCR is also sponsoring a large,
coffee. At this same time of the year, the price of food
3-year Save the Children project focused on developing
staples (beans and corn) increases creating a cash-flow crisis.
sustainable food security in many of these very same
Families make ends meet by eating less, eating cheaper
northern Nicaraguan communities. These combined efforts
foods, or going into debt by borrowing against their future
will broaden and deepen the impact of the fight against “Los
earnings from coffee. This phenomenon was verified by
meses flacos.”
research conducted in 2007 by CIAT (International Center
for Tropical Agriculture) in communities in Nicaragua,
(“Los Meses Flacos”) project will be 420 small-scale coffee
Guatemala, and Mexico that supply Green Mountain
farming families in six communities in northern Nicaragua
Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) with coffee. The symptoms
(approximately 2500 people). In addition, the Save the
of “the thin months” have a direct impact on other efforts
Children food security project will work in four municipalities
GMCR supports, including those focused on health and
(including all but two of the same communities covered
education. The data derived from one-on-one interviews by
by the CECOCAFEN project) to benefit between 750
CIAT was shared with CECOCAFEN, a large cooperative
and 1000 families (approximately 4,500 to 6,000 people).
in Nicaragua. A “strategic summit” was held with farmer
In total, the GMCR-sponsored food security projects in
interviewees, CECOCAFEN’s management team, and
northern Nicaragua should directly assist between 7,000
local NGO’s to brainstorm and develop strategies to help
and 8,500 people in their efforts to eliminate the negative
families through the thin months. This resulted in a 3-year
impacts of “los meses flacos.”
project that GMCR is sponsoring with CECOCAFEN
(Matagalpa, Nicaragua) to help coffee farmers diversify their
Children will enable these organizations to enhance the
farm production to include food crops for consumption and
impact of the projects they are implementing that are focused
additional income. The project will provide participants
on helping coffee farming families develop sustainable
with training, and will link them to technical information
solutions to food insecurity in northern Nicaragua.
The beneficiaries of the CECOCAFEN food security
Cash donations to CECOCAFEN and Save the
through a “brigade” of young people who will support the work of the cooperative’s technical assistants. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 44 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Cisa Exportadora, Mercon Coffee Group Adopt a Child - Change a Life Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
Dania Baltodano www.cisaexp.com Adopt a Child - Change a Life Coffee Regions Nicaragua
S
ince 2001, Cisa Exportadora, a Nicaraguan green coffee exporter and member of Mercon Coffee Group (MCG), developed and implemented the Adopt a School Program, a comprehensive educational program that supports 16 elementary and secondary schools in Nicaragua’s coffee growing communities, benefiting 6300 students. The objective of the Adopt a School Program is to provide a quality education to the children of the coffee growing communities, in order to impact the region’s social and economic development. Schools are benefited by infrastructure projects, donations of school supplies and furniture, workshops for teachers and parents, and reading, health and environmental campaigns. Even though students receive many benefits from the Program, there are still other needs that are not fulfilled. For this reason Cisa Exportadora is promoting a new initiative called Adopt a Child-Change a Life, whereby the needs of a child will be covered by a donations from stakeholders in consuming countries, changing a life. Gustavo is a 7 year old boy that lives in San Fernando, Nueva Segovia in the northern part of Nicaragua; he is the youngest of 7 brothers. Gustavo lives with his parents, however, his father was in an accident and is now incapacitated and cannot work. All the family lives from what they harvest. Gustavo, is in 1st Grade at San Martin School, he is an excellent student, who attends school every day. The old shoes and the uniform he wears are not an obstacle for him to attend
Gustavito at home
A happy Gustavito enjoying school hours
classes. He carries his books in his hands or in a plastic bag, but he has hope and a desire to learn. Gustavo just learned to write and read, and is now writing his first letters. Along with Gustavo, there are 625 children in 1st Grade in the Adopt a School Program. All of them have different heartfelt stories and needs, but they all share one thing, their enthusiasm to learn and have an opportunity to contribute to the progress of their communities. The cost to “Adopt a Child” is US$25.00 per month. With this amount, we can go a long way toward paying for all Gustavo’s school supplies books, uniform and shoes; and the other components of the Adopt a School Program. Adopt a Child-Change a Life will be helping children of low income families from the coffee regions of Nicaragua. Today the Adopt a School Program benefits a total of 6300 students; however we are focusing on 625 students starting 1st Grade for the Adopt a ChildChange a Life project. They are eager to find a sponsor to help them finish their school year. Some parents work in the coffee harvest and others are single mothers who work in different areas to help their children go to school. On average, most families have a daily income of US$2.00, which in all cases is not enough for the basic needs of a family that normally has five members. Often, education is not a priority for the family. How can you help? Cash Donations – for more details about how you can help a child, please visit our website www.cisaexp.com/Sustainable Projects. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
© 2009 F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc.
Gaviña Coffee, our trusted partner in success
o
un
famous names in Hollywood and demand great coffee with expert service. Gaviña Coffee’s commitment to our business allows us to provide them both, day after day. That’s why Gaviña Coffee has been our trusted partner in success for over 20 years.
Call for your personal cupping! 1.800.428.4627 | gavina.com/coffeehouse
ds
sh
Gr
At Priscilla’s, our customers are some of the most
ip
Priscilla’s Coffee House – Burbank, CA
for a Great Partn
er
CT 46 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Rainforest Alliance
Conservation Through Education:The Rainforest Alliance’s Learning Site
Contact Name - Web Site - Project Name - Project Location -
Julianne Schrader www.rainforest-alliance.org/learningsite Conservation Through Education: The Rainforest Alliance’s Learning Site multipleUS, Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador
R
ainforest Alliance Certified coffee
and El Salvador’s El Imposible National Park,
farms comply with comprehensive
Rainforest Alliance lessons help children
standards, including soil and water
understand actions these communities take
conservation, protection of wildlife and
to protect their resources, the wildlife that
forests, ensuring that farm workers, have good
benefit from the sustainable harvesting of
wages, clean drinking water, and health care,
coffee and how our everyday actions impact
and children have access to schools. Rainforest
the way resources are conserved.
Alliance’s
directly
The Rainforest Alliance Learning Site
complements our work with coffee farmers
(www.rainforest-alliance.org/learningsite)
by helping to transform the way students
is filled with lessons, profiles about the flora
and educators think about using resources
and fauna, stories about children living in
with learning tools available through the
coffee
Rainforest Alliance Learning Site at www.
and presentations. The Rainforest Alliance
rainforest-alliance.org/learningsite.
TreeHouse
education
program
We are
communities,
posters,
certificates
(www.rainforest-alliance.org/
at a pivotal moment in the history of the Earth
treehouse) allows children to play games and
that requires everyone to be committed to
learn about the plants, animals and people
protecting our world’s resources. By engaging
living in rainforests. It also allows them to
children in the protection of our forests,
track back coffee, chocolate and bananas to
Rainforest Alliance is preparing students
their tropical origins.
for their role as citizens, consumers and
We believe that now, more than ever,
environmental stewards in a fully globalized
there is an urgent need to educate children
world. In order to meet the challenges that
about the challenges and opportunities
lie ahead, students need to be trained across
for environmental conservation through
disciplines, using lessons that show them the
sustainable use of our resources. Please join
interconnectedness of their world and the
our efforts by sharing the Rainforest Alliance
impacts of their actions. Lessons featuring
Learning Site with the educators, parents and
case studies in sustainable coffee help promote
children in your life. Please make a donation
exactly this type of learning experience.
to help us directly train US and Guatemalan
teachers to promote good global citizenship
By featuring coffee communities that
neighbor Colombia’s Kachalú Nature Reserve
among their students. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
CT 48 July 2009
www.CoffeeTalk.com
CoffeeTalk
Freeplay Foundation Coffee Lifeline
Contact Name - Michelle Riley Web Site - www.freeplayfoundation.org Project Name - Coffee Lifeline Project Location - Butare regionRwanda
T
he Freeplay Foundation tackles energy poverty through self-powered, renewable energy technologies. We use solar-powered, wind-up Freeplay Lifeline radios to provide vulnerable populations with access to information and education. Radio is still the primary means of mass communication in Africa, but most rural people cannot afford to buy batteries on an ongoing basis and do not have access to electricity. The Coffee Lifeline project reduces this obstacle for farmers in Rwanda. Peter Kettler, the coffee development director at Taylor Maid Farms, approached us with the idea for Coffee Lifeline, and together, we launched it in Rwanda in October 2005. Today, many coffee farmers know the correct price of their coffee beans on the world market, can access information on the latest farming techniques, and have daily access to weather reports. Still, only a fraction of the farmers have been reached and many more Lifeline radios are needed to take the project to scale nationwide. Working with the National University of Rwanda and Texas A&M University in a linkage with USAID’s SPREAD project, we have distributed almost 450 radios to date. Listening groups of almost 100 farmers at a time listen to each radio, thereby benefiting tens of thousands of farmers. Via our Coffee Lifeline project, we not only provide farmers with Lifeline radios, we also help produce a radio program with Radio Salus in Rwanda, called Imbere Heza (“Brighter Future”). Imbere Heza relays detailed information about coffee growing and processing techniques, international market and pricing information, interviews with coffee roasters and global importers, weather reports, and news from local coffee cooperatives. The response has been tremendous, and Peter Kettler is developing a database in the USA to expand our expert resource base. The experts will work with Radio Salus to further address the Rwandan farmers’ full range of coffee industry issues. Cash donations will help tremendously. The Coffee Lifeline project requires $65 per radio to deliver it into the hands of coffee farmers in Rwanda. A $5,000 donation could directly benefit almost 7,700 farmers. © copyright CoffeeTalk magazine 2009
™
Experience the rich flavor of Tuscany ™ ! Feel the warmth and romance of Tuscany in every cup! International Paper Foodservice Business is pleased to unveil our newest hot cup stock design, Tuscany™. • Rich warm colors to enhance the coffee experience • Available in 4oz. - 20oz. single poly hot cups • Common lid set for sizes 10oz. - 20oz. • Fiber used meets the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) chain of custody standards To learn more about Tuscany™ and other fine products from International Paper Foodservice Business, call 1-800-537-4141, or visit www.ipfoodservice.com
© 2009 International Paper Company. All rights reserved. Tuscany is a trademark of International Paper. Sustainable Forestry Initiative and SFI are registered service marks of SFI, Inc.