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!