Coffee Kids blog

Friday, January 15, 2010

Featured Donor: Sweet Maria’s

Over the past few years, interest in home coffee roasting has grown exponentially and Sweet Maria’s, based in Oakland, CA, has played a central role in the movement.

Their website offers advice on how to choose a home roaster, detailed roasting instructions, photos of beans at each roasting stage and forums for discussing all things coffee. They also sell supplies and equipment, and green coffee to get eager home roasters started.

This holiday season, Sweet Maria’s produced “The Unofficial 2010 Dogs of Coffee Calendar,” which was sold to benefit Coffee Kids and five other charities. The calendar has 15 full-color photographs of dogs from various coffee-producing regions. Co-owner Thompson Owen took the photographs during his travels around the world in search of coffee.

“Maybe he misses our dogs, West Oakland mutts of the first degree, or maybe dogs tend to be a friendly presence. Whatever the reason, over time, Tom has amassed quite a collection of photographs of dogs at coffee origins,” said Maria Troy, co-owner of Sweet Maria’s.

The unique calendar is available for purchase on Sweet Maria’s Web site.

For over ten years, Sweet Maria’s has supported Coffee Kids through various fundraisers and they strive to educate their customers and online followers about our work. Their site is consistently one of the top referrer’s to the Coffee Kids Web site.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Latin American Farmers Leaving Organic Coffee

Latin American countries account for 75% of the world’s organic coffee production. But even as demand for organic coffee has increased, coffee farmers are being forced to return to conventional cultivation using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the article, “Organic coffee: Why Latin America’s farmers are abandoning it,” reporter Ezra Feiser talks with coffee farmers and researchers to uncover what’s happening.

The Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education in Costa Rica (CATIE) estimates that at least 10% of organic coffee farmers have gone back to conventional production. The article goes on to state that the high prices that had been associated with organic coffee are diminishing and many farmers are being forced to sell their organic beans in the conventional market.

In Chiapas, Mexico, farmers associated with our partner ICSUR experienced this firsthand when a buyer canceled two large contracts and farmers were forced to sell their coffee in local markets. Many families sustained a heavy loss (Read more here).

According to the article, farmers using chemical fertilizers and pesticides harvest about 485 pounds of coffee out of one acre, versus 285 pounds per acre on an organic farm. If they cannot justify the cost, they are forced to return to conventional methods.

The impact is heavy in many communities. Given a lack of education on proper usage, local water sources are frequently contaminated with chemicals, much of the land is rendered sterile from overuse, and families are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals.

Families working with our partner ICSUR have incorporated edible mushroom production and chicken-raising efforts to diversify their income and lessen their dependence on income from coffee. With economic diversity, many of these families can continue their organic farming and weather the finicky markets.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Guatemala High on Climate Change List

With the United Nations Climate Change Talks going on in Copenhagen this week, the news has been saturated with articles and programs about climate change and its potential impacts. A recent article in The Prensa Libre, Guatemala’s national daily, blared “Guatemala está en riesgo por cambio climático,” or “Guatemala at Risk for Climate Change” (link in Spanish).

According to the United Nations, Guatemala is among the top ten countries that could be affected most by extreme weather caused by climate change. Afghanistan, Macedonia, Armenia, Belize, Cambodia, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Comoros along with Guatemala are the countries most threatened by hurricanes, droughts, floods and elevated temperatures.

Articles from the Minnesota Post and Guardian, cite that coffee farmers are already being forced to higher altitudes to find the temperatures necessary for cultivating coffee. (Please read “Climate change causing havoc to coffee and tea farmers, says Cafédirect” The Guardian and “Will coffee prices climb with climate change?” The Minnesota Post)

Around the world there will be millions of families affected by increasingly extreme weather patterns and the discussion of sustainability will likely change from simply providing a fair price to how to ensure that families have a way to survive. Coffee Kids is working to provide alternatives that provide for more consistent year round income. The programs we support don’t change the weather, but will help families confront to potential effects of climate change.

We currently support four organizations in Guatemala. The projects range from pre- and post-natal care for women, to permaculture and biodiesel, to microcredit and small business projects. Read more about our efforts in Guatemala here.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Coffee Kids - Wise Giving Approved

Coffee Kids is proud to announce that we have met the 20 rigorous Standards for Charity Accountability as outlined by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. The alliance is a merger of the National Charities Information Bureau and the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service. The standards require organizations like Coffee Kids to follow best practice methodologies in fiscal, program, and personnel policies. For more information about the Standards for Charity Accountability and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, go to www.bbb.org.

Talking Bees with Bill Mares

Coffee Kids’ Board Member, Bill Mares, recently traveled to Nicaragua to speak at a “Let’s Talk Coffee” event hosted by Sustainable Harvest.

Our presentation at “Let’s Talk Coffee,” was well-received and I was happy to provide my perspective to all present.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Featured Donor: Boston Stoker

Boston Stoker has been a Coffee Kids supporter since 1991 after Don Dean, who founded the company with his wife Sally, saw a Coffee Kids presentation at a Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) conference.

“We were charter members of the SCAA and our founder was an economist. What attracted him to Coffee Kids was that it made economic sense, it’s a great way to address a tough problem,” said Henry Dean, vice president of operations.

Boston Stoker began in 1973 as a pipe tobacco and cigar store. They began offering specialty coffee the following year to entice customers to stay longer and the beverage eventually supplanted their tobacco business. The company now includes ten coffee shops and a wholesale roasting plant in the Dayton, Ohio area.

“We are able to support Coffee Kids through generous donations from our retail customers. All of our locations have Coffee Kids coin drops instead of tip jars.”

Employees at the company are informed about Coffee Kids work and they share this information with customers. Some employees donate a portion of their check per week. And it adds up. Boston Stoker has donated more than $50,000 since 2005.

“We constantly receive feedback from both customers and our baristas. They’re very proud to be helping the families that bring them great coffee,” Dean said.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Fresh from the Field: Chiapas

In mid-October, I visited our partner ICSUR in Chiapas, Mexico. Men and women there are learning to raise chickens and edible mushrooms and to utilize traditional medicine for common illnesses. Their edible mushroom project, which was financed by Coffee Kids in the past, became completely self-sustaining last year. It was great to see how that project has grown and how families have moved onto new projects to diversify income and provide for better health care and food security.

For seven years, ICSUR has collaborated on a number of projects with indigenous communities in the Zoque region. The technical staff at ICSUR does an impressive job of maintaining excitement for the projects while respecting the preferences and priorities of the communities.

They have helped them solicit government funding for local infrastructure and technical staff who support and advise on the cultivation of coffee in the region. Their coffee is sold under the name Cooperativa Federación Selva Negra. Some of ICSUR’s most important work in this area has been helping families create alternatives to coffee and bolster economic independence.

Given the global economic crisis, this year has been especially difficult for Selva Negra. The government has stopped offering financial support for technical staff and the fees associated with coffee certification. Besides this, coffee buyers have had to cancel two large coffee contracts and coffee was sold for national consumption instead of for export. Many families suffered a heavy loss.

In moments like these, many families not only suffer a loss of income, but also lose motivation to continue farming coffee. The economic woes have convinced many families of the importance of economic diversification and more and more of them are taking advantage of Coffee Kids-supported projects in chicken-raising and traditional medicines.

ICSUR is working with the families to reach their goals so that they can continue farming coffee without being completely dependent on it.

Read more about ICSUR’s efforts and see photos on our Flickr page.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Ethical Coffee Debate in Vienna

On October 9, 2009, I had the opportunity to participate in a debate looking at the future of ethical coffee sourcing at the European Coffee Symposium in Vienna, Austria, which brought together more than 450 influential leaders from the coffee sector to talk coffee.

I shared a panel with representatives from several certifying agencies, including Utz Certified, Fairtrade Foundation, and Rainforest Alliance. A lively discussion ensued after Peter Grffiths presented the topic, “Why Fair Trade Isn’t Fair,” and I think the audience learned a great deal about the need for multiple solutions to this complicated global problem and ways to confront poverty at coffee’s origin.

Our message continues to be that there is no such thing as sustainable coffee. Sustainability is about people and community. Healthy communities produce quality coffee. Healthy communities happen when livelihood issues – such as healthcare, education and sufficient income – are properly addressed. Trade is one way to address issues of income and confront the many issues farmer’s face, but it is not the only way. It is critical that we all work together – certifying agencies, other nonprofits, development organizations, donors and consumers – to confront poverty at origin.

08-09_ck_annrpt.pdf (PDF; XX KB)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Deepening Fair Trade

Coffee Kids was invited to participate on a panel at the Ross Net Impact Conference, “Markets with a Mission,” at the University of Michigan on October 15-16.

The discussion, “Deepening Fair Trade: Efforts in Coffee-farming Communities to Improve the Lives of Farmers and Their Families,” reviewed approaches to creating more sustainable communities in the coffee lands. Along with Kyle Freund of Coffee Kids, the panel members were Cate Baril of Transfair and Lubna Nabi of Root Capital (who couldn’t attend due to flight problems). Ted London of the William Davidson Institute at the university served as the panel moderator.

The panel discussed life in coffee-farming communities and the associated problems, including poverty and hunger issues. The panel recognized that the majority of coffee-farming families cannot survive from coffee income alone and no one approach will address the full breadth of the problem.

Fair Trade came about to ensure a more sustainable base price for coffee to help families withstand market volatility. It also gives consumers the option to become part of the solution. Root Capital plays an important role in the Fair Trade network by providing farmers and cooperatives with access to low-interest credit so they can benefit from Fair Trade prices. Root Capital has also introduced a program to provide financing for purchasing land.

But even with Fair Trade and other price premiums, coffee is not enough. Fair Trade will always be a segment of overall trade in coffee and given the small parcels managed by many farmers, work must be done to create economically viable communities and reduce dependence on coffee for income. Coffee Kids works with local organizations in coffee-farming communities to address these problems and create alternatives to coffee.

The presentation drove home the fact that no one approach will answer all of the needs of coffee-farming families. But by supporting a variety of alternatives, coffee companies and coffee-farming families can work together to ensure a healthier future.

Visiting Friends in Ann Arbor

While in Ann Arbor for the Ross Net Impact Conference at the University of Michigan, I visited a few Coffee Kids friends.

The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses is a family of small food related companies in the Ann Arbor area. Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and run the business. I met with Allan Liebowitz and Steve Mangigian, managing partners of Zingerman’s Coffee – great guys who showed enthusiasm and interest in helping Coffee Kids.

Stephan Iscoe of Big City Coffee recently signed on as a Coffee Kids business member with his online coffee company. He was gracious and generous with his marketing ideas, interested in Coffee Kids’ efforts and concerned about life in coffee-farming communities. Thanks much, Stephan!

My next stop was at Mighty Good Coffee in downtown Ann Arbor, where I met with David Myers and Barista Matt Roney, sampled a fine Kenyan Peaberry, and discussed our work. David created Mighty Good Coffee Roasters three years ago recently expanded to a retail operation. They ‘twittered’ their followers to stop in the following morning for a fundraiser for Coffee Kids.

Thanks to all for the support and meeting up!