Thursday, April 21, 2011

Why cycle across America for Coffee Kids?

By Dayle Walker

My name is Dayle Walker and, along with Steven Prime, I am one-half of the cycling duo that is going to bike across America for Coffee Kids. Our film crew, made up of Arturs Liepins and Rebecca Horsburgh, will accompany us as we take on the mission to cycle 3,000 miles in 30 days through 11 states across the continent of America. We understand the challenges ahead of us, especially those of the elements, namely heat and the risk of tornadoes. We also know that the trek through mountain ranges and barren deserts will be grueling.

Since taking on the project, one little three-letter word keeps cropping up: Why? Why would I cycle across America? I must either be crazy or brave. Can it not be a bit of both? And why Coffee Kids?

I’m from England, and Coffee Kids is not well-known here, so I often have to explain what Coffee Kids is about and why we’re doing this. Steve owns his own coffee shop, called Esquires Coffee House, back in our hometown and has long supported Coffee Kids. So it made sense to support something he already believes in and that is also integrated into his business.

For me, personally, it’s about freedom.

I live in a city called Coventry, right in the heart of England. I have a good job, a nice house, eat well, am healthy and play as much as I like because I’m completely free to do what I want. However, the families that Coffee Kids supports don’t have the freedom that I have. They and their children struggle day in and day out just to put food on the table. This not only affects the children’s health, but also their chance at life. Many families can’t afford to send their children to school, and so, many kids work in the fields, helping their families make ends meet.

Steven and I want to raise as much money as we can for Coffee Kids by taking advantage of our freedom, which allows us to take on any opportunity we desire, so that we can give families a chance to do the same—to be healthy, educated and have the opportunity to become and do whatever they dream.

To support Steve and Dayle’s trek across America for Coffee Kids, please visit their donation page at CrowdRise.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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, equipment and green coffee to get eager home roasters started.

For the second year, Sweet Maria’s produced the 2011 Dogs of Coffee Calendar, which benefits Coffee Kids and five other charities. The calendar has photographs of dogs and other creatures from various coffee-producing regions. Co-owner Thompson Owen took the photographs, except for Mr. May, which was contributed by Aleco Chigounis.

The unique calendar is available for purchase on Sweet Maria’s Web site and is currently offered as buy one, get one free!

Sweet Maria’s is a long-time donor and has supported Coffee Kids through various fundraisers throughout the years. They strive to educate their customers and online followers about our work, and their site is consistently one of the top referrer’s to the Coffee Kids Web site.

Do you home roast? Show and tell over on our Facebook page.

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Featured Donor: Baresso Coffee

By Elisa Kelly

Baresso Coffee, the first chain of specialty coffee shops in Denmark, first became a Coffee Kids supporter in 2007. Since that time, they have become one of Coffee Kids’ greatest champions in Europe, deepening their commitment every year.

Kenneth and Inger Luciani, Baresso’s founders, opened their first coffee shop in Copenhagen in 2000 with the aim of bringing quality coffee and an inviting coffee-shop experience to Denmark. Due to hard work, a passion for great coffee, and a commitment to creating pleasant time-out spaces for their customers, the company has grown rapidly—they will open their 23rd shop later this month.

Part of the secret to Baresso’s success is their firm belief that education is key to creating a great cup of coffee. As Anita Grubbe Nørgaard, marketing head of Baresso, has explained, passion for good coffee is born of education, whether in training baristas to pull the perfect espresso or in teaching customers where that coffee bean was grown.

This philosophy is apparent in Baresso’s commitment to education at origin. Baresso firmly believes that the future of sustainable coffee lies with young people. “If you plant a seed with the child, you will see great opportunities grow, and great changes will be possible,” comments Anita.

Baresso finds great synergy with Coffee Kids in this philosophy and in their holistic approach to coffee production. “You only get a good cup of coffee if you cultivate it. Out of respect for that, you really need to give back to the coffee-producing families. They are the ones laying the ground for a good cup of coffee,” says Anita. “We have a saying in Danish: ‘From the field to the mouth and back again.’ It all starts out there in the field. It is because of this that we are very glad to cooperate with Coffee Kids, and feel this cooperation is getting closer every day.”

Coffee Kids is very glad, as well, to continue deepening our relationship with Baresso every day. Thanks, Baresso, for your dedication to making a difference!

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Friday, May 14, 2010

2nd Homeroaster’s Auction Well Underway

Updated May 17, 2010
The 2nd Annual Homeroaster’s Auction is moving along well. In the first two weeks, the group has raised nearly $3,300. Last year’s auction raised over $5,600 for Coffee Kids. Weeks three and four promise even more great items. Companies and individuals from the specialty coffee industry have donated an assortment of top-quality green coffee, magazine subscriptions, grinders, brewers, roasters and much more, with all proceeds going directly to Coffee Kids.

The auction will be hosted by the Green Coffee Buying Club (GCBC). Interested bidders can register for free on the GCBC website to check out all of the items and place bids.

Items include:

• Hottop KN-8288B Coffee Roaster donated by No Quarter Coffee (Retail value $720)

• Behmor Coffee Roaster donated by Joe Behm (Retail value $300)
  15 lbs. El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas Pulp Natural (RFA) donated by Royal Coffee NY (Retail value $45)

• Bacchi Espresso Machine donated by Orphan Espresso (Retail value $395)

• 3-cup Tokio siphon, Hario Skerton Grinder, 12oz. Roasted coffee (roaster’s choice) donated by Caffe d’Bolla (Retail value $97)

• 5 lbs. Kenya Auction Lot donated by Café Imports (Retail value $83)

• 10 lbs. 2009 Panama Finca Esmerelda Especial donated by GCBC member mpoll (Retail value $300)

And these are just a few of the amazing items the group gathered for the auction. Check out a full listing at Home-Barista.com. Most items will include free shipping in the continental US and some will include international shipping. Check the item listing to find out.

Many thanks to all of our home roasting friends and all of the businesses, organizations and individuals who have donated items and their time to make this auction possible.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Featured Donor: Our Supporters in the Press and Online

Each month, every day, magazines and websites in the coffee industry spread the word about Coffee Kids by donating ad space. Given Coffee Kids’ limited resources, these placements help us promote our work and accomplishments and attract interest from new contributors.

“All of these publications recognize the important role Coffee Kids plays in helping coffee-farming families and have been extremely thoughtful and giving,” said Kyle Freund, communication manager at Coffee Kids. “We appreciate all of the exposure and support we receive.”

Special thanks to ad space contributors:
Barista
BeanScene Magazine
Coffee & Cocoa International
CoffeeTalk Magazine and the Daily Dose
Fresh Cup
Roast
Saveur Magazine Online
Specialty Coffee Retailer
The Sprudge Report
Tea and Coffee Trade Journal

All ad space donors receive recognition in the Coffee Kids newsletter; contributions are tax-deductible. If interested in helping Coffee Kids spread the word, contact or call 505-820-1443.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Featured Donor: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

For more than 20 years, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), of Waterbury, VT, has made support of Coffee Kids a cornerstone in their efforts to build a socially responsible company. GMCR is our largest donor with over $1 million in contributions since Coffee Kids began.

GMCR strives to “create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch from tree to cup – transforming the way the world understands business.” Their commitment to building sustainable relationships with coffee-growing communities is often cited as vital to their incredible success.

The company understands the complexities of the coffee world and supports a variety of initiatives, including: Fair Trade, shade-grown and organic certified coffees, direct-trade relationships, and support for nonprofit organizations working in coffee-growing communities. Through these efforts, GMCR works to reduce poverty, alleviate hunger, and improve quality of life at origin.

Many GMCR employees have traveled with Coffee Kids on origin trips to learn about conditions in coffee-farming communities. Moved by such experiences, these employees and others donate generously through the company’s employee payroll deduction program.

The company also recently announced a $500,000 commitment – in addition to their annual contributions – to Coffee Kids for education projects in Nicaragua. The money will be distributed over four years and fund two scholarship projects for the children of coffee farmers. Read more about GMCR’s contribution here (PDF; 196 KB).
GMCR highlights their support of Coffee Kids on their website sharing information about their support and how it impacts coffee-farming families with their customers

Thanks to everyone at GMCR for their unwavering support and dedication to coffee-farming families.

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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.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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!

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Featured Donor: Van Houtte

The Featured Donor of the Month blog entry misstated important facts about Van Houtte. Coffee Kids apologizes for the following errors:

• Van Houtte, Inc., based in Montreal, is Canada’s leading gourmet coffee roaster and the largest Coffee Services network in North America. The blog entry implied that Van Houtte is solely based in Canada.
• McMaster University is opening a café that will feature Van Houtte’s Blends for Hope collection. The blog entry stated that Van Houtte was opening the café.

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(Updated: Sept. 9, 2009) – Van Houtte, based in Montreal, is Canada’s leading gourmet coffee roaster and the largest Coffee Services network in North America. For over ten years, Van Houtte has been one of Coffee Kids’ largest donors contributing a portion of all sales. Their products are available throughout North America and on the Web.

At Van Houtte, sustainability is not just a buzzword to market their coffee. Sustainability is a commitment, permeating all of their activities. Eighteen months ago, the company launched a multi-faceted sustainability initiative called “Committed to Caring,” which includes the “Blends for Hope” program.

“Blends for Hope” provides customers with a choice of many coffee blends, each linked to organizations Van Houtte supports. The blends include information about Coffee Kids and other nonprofits.

In September, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario will open a LEED certified café featuring Van Houtte products. Videos, wallpaper and stickers will put Van Houtte’s support of Coffee Kids on display.

Van Houtte is also working to “green” its activities and become a better corporate citizen. Working with the consulting firm Deloitte, Van Houtte is analyzing all levels of their company to find ways to improve their sustainability. They plan to initiate new strategies including optimizing energy use at roasting facilities. Supporting coffee-farming families in the pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle is an important part of these efforts.

“By supporting Coffee Kids, we not only help communities develop a more stable local economy and enhance their standard of living, we help them develop the means that they need to keep growing quality coffee,” said Marie-Claude Dessureault, director of brewing technologies.

Coffee Kids appreciates Van Houtte for their unwavering support.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Featured Donor: DaVinci Gourmet

DaVinci Gourmet, the industry leader in gourmet syrups, is that rare company that extends support of the specialty coffee industry through the entire chain of supply – from coffee growers to beverages served worldwide. Whether it is sponsoring a myriad of barista competitions or providing menu and technical support to small cafes, many witness first hand DaVinci’s support. In particular is their exceptional support of Coffee Kids.

Since 2006, DaVinci Gourmet has been a major sponsor of Coffee Kids, contributing over $500,000 with the funds channeled toward the organization’s quality of life programs in coffee communities. Through this level of contribution, Coffee Kids has been able to not only maintain, but also expand its program, reaching over 3,200 families served by Coffee Kids’ 12 partners in Latin America.

“We are very committed to the specialty coffee industry on many levels. Through Coffee Kids we are able to help and support those who are vital to this industry, the families who grow the beans. With this relationship we can affect the lives of those thousands of miles away, creating a connection,” said Jennifer Faren, brand manager at DaVinci Gourmet.

DaVinci Gourmet syrups are used throughout the United States and internationally in specialty coffee drinks. Their commitment to coffee-farming families is an investment in the future of coffee.

“We know first hand the intricacy of the coffee process, from farm to cup and therefore understand the essential part each and every family plays in the global coffee economy and the need to sustain themselves for future growth,” Faren said.

Besides monetary support, DaVinci Gourmet further promotes Coffee Kids to others with a mention on every bottle, POP materials and the company’s website and publicity materials (http://www.davincigourmet.com).

“The impact of DaVinci Gourmet’s support has put Coffee Kids at another level. Thanks to them, awareness of our efforts to help families and the resources to put the programs in place have increased substantially,” said Coffee Kids’ Executive Director Carolyn Fairman.

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