Project Description
The Coffeelands Foundation provides funding to non-profit organizations addressing the needs of coffee producing communities around the world. The popularity of specialty coffee has created a vibrant and profitable environment in the retail coffee world. Far too often our success is not also realized by the people growing our coffee. Access to education, adequate health care, clean water, economic diversity, and even enough food to feed one’s family are still common problems in coffee growing regions.
Our project, the Penny a Pound program, creates a simple, convenient and effective way for coffee roasters to address these needs.
Through participating coffee brokers, the Penny a Pound program makes it possible for coffee roasters to donate incrementally by adding a penny per pound onto each of their green coffee purchases. The donation is automatically made when the coffee invoice is paid. It’s that simple. Each pound of coffee purchased is helping the people and communities growing our coffee.
Pennies are important – and powerful. Every day the prices paid for green coffee fluctuates – often more than a penny. How would you like to assure that at least one penny of your purchase went to work making a big impact on the lives of the people producing our coffee? You can, through our simple Penny a Pound program. Participation is voluntary, you can opt in or out at any time, and there is no time commitment.
Make your wise purchases—and pennies—count and make a lasting difference to the lives of our producers.
Benefits
The mission of the Coffeelands Foundation is to build strong coffee communities. We believe that the Penny a Pound program can help us achieve this mission. The benefits are numerous. Specifically, we support projects that address:
• Seasonal hunger and food security
• Education and Health Care.
• Economic Stability
• Women’s empowerment
• Sanitation and Water projects
• Migrant/wage worker issues
• Response to local and regional disasters.
Some of the organizations and their programs that we support include Grounds for Health; The Coffee Trust; Peublo a Peublo and Food 4 Farmers. These organizations demonstrate exceptional community-building skills and most importantly, develop their programs within the communities where they work. The long-term success of any program depends on collaboration between the non-profits and the community. Programs are tailored specifically to the needs of the individual community.
We review new project proposals semi-annually and specific projects are chosen and funded through the Board of Directors of the Coffeelands Foundation. Tracking and monitoring all projects is of the utmost importance to us and we report back to participating roasters on the projects’ progress.
All donations are tax-deductible. Coffeelands Foundation is recognized as tax exempt under Section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Readers can help by
Sign up today with the Penny a Pound program through these participating importers:
• Royal Coffee, Oakland
• InterAmerican Coffee
• Vournas Coffee Trading
You can begin contributing immediately with your next coffee purchase.
If you are buying coffee through other brokers and would like to be part of the Coffeelands Foundation talk to your broker. Encourage them join us in this effort. If we can get all the green coffee importers working on this project it can have a tremendous impact at origin.
Contact us. www.coffeelands.org. Sign up for our newsletter. Donate directly on-line.
This project is simple in concept, simple in execution and addresses complex issues in our extended coffee community. Join us today.
Project Contact:
Scott Brant
Email:
coffeelandsfoundation@gmail.com
Phone:
(406) 309‑5119
Project URL:
coffeelands.org
Location:
Guatemala, Additional projects in Nicargua, Mexico, Honduras and Ethiopia
Project Impact:
The Penny a Pound program has the potential to impact over 8000 coffee farmers, their families, and their communities through working with the organizations we support.