Which organisation should I choose for contributions?

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Which organisation should I choose for contributions?

Postby Joey » Mon Jul 05, 2004 4:09 pm

Hi everyone!

I would love to contribute something more then just buying the coffee (which saves a lot of jobs, too) to the countries who plant and harvest the beans in the future. (talking about money I will make in the shop, maybe some donations from customer, too)
From the beginning I'm drawn to CoffeeKids, then I heard from Songbird and now the Rainforest Alliance....
Does any of you have insider information, experiences with one of these or other organisations?
For example - I like Coffee Kids because they don't send the money to the country, they buy them what they need, sometimes this can be a sewing machine.... :)
As Ethiopia is a very poor country, Karl Heimz Böhm, the german actor does a lot of good work there, too....On the other side I heard bad things about the Fair Trade Coffee Organisation - so I'm not gonna buy it.

Anything reliable out there?

Thanks for your opinions!

Joey[/code]
"Latte" is french for "you've paid too much for your coffee"
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Postby phil » Mon Jul 05, 2004 4:15 pm

IanB, care to comment on this one please?
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Postby ianboughton » Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:24 pm

Joey - by way of explanation, Phil happens to know that I’m involved with a non-coffee charity which seeks to help the sick and the poor in some parts of the world. Therefore, I happen to be very interested in such schemes.

Forgive me if I don’t comment on Fairtrade. I’ve heard a lot about it both for and against, but prefer not to offer a view.

With regard to aid in general, please forgive me if I point you first to an item on our own website, in which the Adam Smith Institute queried the whole question of fair trade (small F !) It’s at
http://www.adamsmith.org/pdf/groundsforcomplaint.pdf You may disagree entirely with them, but it’s worth reading.

With regard to the Rainforest Alliance, I have only just finished an interview with Simon Wakefield of the British importers DR Wakefield, the first British importer of RFA-certified coffee, and Sabrina Vigilante, marketing manager of the Alliance, but haven’t finished writing it yet. The word ‘Rainforest’ is rather a narrow description of their incredibly wide activities. They do far more than the name suggests in terms of all-round social and environmental care. (When I queried it, they explained that ‘rainforest’ was a word with which the general public identified, so they stuck with it!) If you want to contact them directly, and care to mail me privately, I’ll supply their e-mail addresses, rather than post them in public. I will say I was impressed. They will be happy to answer questions from you.

With regard to the RFA again, there is in our current issue two features which may interest you – Simon Bower af Pollards, and Ian Balmforth of Bolling, two British roasters who have things to say about the Rainforest Alliance. I believe I’ve sent you a copy of the magazine, but if not, I’ll email PDFs of those pages. I’ll try and put them on the Coffee House website soon.

With regard to Coffee Kids, I’m trying to find an interview I did with Bill Fishbein a year or so ago, and I’ll post it either on my website or direct to you when I find it. Meanwhile, I will say that I like both him and his organization – he is deeply committed to the entire social care of the communities with whom he works. I happen to think this is the right way to do things – consider the healthcare, the education, and other social issues surrounding the farmers. Have a look at www.coffeekids.org

For what I think is an interesting supporting feature on a company who works with Bill, have a look at a story about Percol, the first British company to support Coffee Kids.
http://www.coffee-house.org.uk/percol.html

If you happen to know Stephen Hurst, the Coffee Hunter, from the British company Mercanta, you might care to ask him about some of the social-care programmes being practiced in Costa Rica, which he happened to show me there earlier this year. He too will be very pleased to help you. May I suggest that you send a private message to peterj of this forum, who met a grower-supplier of his during that same recent trip to Central America, and who I believe may be able to give you some interesting background of that farmer’s circumstances.

I do hope this will be a start.

All the best – and I offer my profound respect to anyone who considers ethical sourcing for the right reasons!
-IanB
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Postby Joey » Wed Jul 07, 2004 9:44 am

Thanks a lot Ian - that's great information.
As soon as my contracts are made and I have done most of the work (hiring employees, ordering stuff...) I will also concentrate on this theme - it looks like I need to spend a bit more time then I thought with choosing someone... I also don't know at the beginning how muc I can afford to donate. My rent wil be about 8000 Euro, including overheads, and about the same amount again for supplies and employees - so I will begin with collecting donations from customers and as soon as I see how many transactions per day I'll have I can calculate how much per coffee/per pound/cup - however - I can afford donating myself. Hope that doesn't sound small minded - but I have to survive the first year in that place, befor that I can't quit...

Anyway, thanks for the contacts, I'll give it a lot of thoughts in the next weeks and I will dare asking paul and you again if I need further informations!
Joey
"Latte" is french for "you've paid too much for your coffee"
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Postby mattmills » Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:08 pm

If i may offer an opinion on this... Whilst i was out in costa rica and el salvador i spent a fair amount of time with the RFA.

The work that they do is the first time that i have seen anything that really has a good effect, and not just charity or lip service. They work in a very practical way, and with a real understanding of what is need to be done.

Since i have come back i have been pushing this idea, as it is something that i believe in.
Part of the best thing is that, from what i gather the best way to help, is not by donating but simply supporting them. Due to the structure, they tend not to have a marketing budget, and therefore this tends to restrict the publics knowledge. By more people supporting this concept the better of a great number of people will be.
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Postby ianboughton » Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:22 pm

Thanks Matt, I'm obliged for that view - helps with something I'm working on.

-IanB
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Postby mattmills » Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:33 pm

oh, you always worry me when you say things like that!!!!!
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