Ethiopian legend tells of a goat herder, Kaldi, who noticed that his goats were friskier after eating red berries off a local shrub (coffee plants). Kaldi tried the berries himself and began to feel happier. More fun and interesting coffee history…
Thanks to the guys at Camano Island Coffee Roasters for this fun vid!
ReThink Coffee exists because Jeff Ericson, owner of Camano Island Coffee Roasters, wanted to use his business as a vehicle to provide sustainable support for churches and non-profits in addition to all the good work he does with farmers in coffee growing nations (and also because Dan spent countless hours helping us get set-up). Nobody really tells the story of the CICR vision better than Jeff, so I am reposting his latest blog.
SOCIAL BUSINESS – WHY QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ETHICS WORK – Jeff Ericson
Our blog’s main function is to be our “soapbox” of sorts. It is our way of spreading our business beliefs and ethics to anyone that would read. Too often, people shop at “low cost leader” stores without thinking about the global effect of their purchases. Now there is nothing wrong with finding a value for a product – the problem is that many find value and sacrifice much more important things.
As a coffee guy myself, one blaring example I see constantly is through coffee purchases. Many people will not buy an excellent high-end coffee that is organic, fairly traded, and shade-grown (like CICR) because they’ve found a cheaper coffee in the grocery store and the quality isn’t worth it to them. The problem with that purchasing decision is that the consumer isn’t being educated as to the good/bad that product creates… mostly because it almost always has a negative impact on the people that grow it, the land it’s grown on, and/or the coffee drinker’s body.
When Camano Island Coffee Roasters was first started, I spent countless days selling coffee at local fairs and retail outlets. To this day, a lot of our most supportive prosumers are people we met through these venues. From time to time I would get the response that such-and-such coffee was much cheaper at the grocery store. These same people would be religious leaders or just generally good people that try hard to do good things but are trying to save a buck or two.
After spending time talking with them, I would show them how purchasing coffee that isn’t grown responsibly actually harms the people and the land where it is grown. Just by making purchases such as coffee responsibly and supporting a social business that goes beyond the notion of paying a far price, philanthropic giving could be completely eliminated and more good would be accomplished.
In summary, this is the thought process I’d like to leave you with -
Why make irresponsible purchases and then throw money at the world’s problems through various charities without creating a sustainable difference? All you have to do is purchase responsibly and enjoy the best products – and through that, you’d create far more generational change.
- Jeff Ericson, President CICR
Hey ReThink Coffee drinkers, did you know that you are supporting the United Nations Millennium Development goals? Thanks for your contribution to global partnerships!
