To kick it off, Bean There is offering free Fair Trade coffees from their 44 Stanley roastery in Johannesburg and their Wale Street roastery in Cape Town.
Our coffee loving culture sees over 2.25-billion cups consumed every day – the bulk of it produced by small-scale farmers in developing countries who face challenges from climate change to political conflict. Despite the rise of fair purchasing practices amongst coffee companies – Bean There and Motherland, to name two local favourites – farmers struggle to generate the money required to meet their needs.
Tip the Farmer was created to provide a necessary financial boost. Money raised will go directly to Virunga Coffee in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Musema Cooperative in Burundi. Virunga Coffee is planning to increase 185 farmers’ revenue by 16% – funding better education, agronomy and household improvements. In Musema, tips will cover the services of an agronomist for a year, which can lead to the doubling of farmers’ income in the long term.
Visit Bean There for a free coffee on Saturday 29 September between 9am to 12 noon and consider high fiving a farmer – in cash at the till, via SnapScan or online at www.tipthefarmer.org.za. If you can’t make it into a store, track the coffee-fuelled adventures of the giant Bean There Coffee cup as it roams popular spots in both cities, handing out vouchers to the coffee lovers it encounters.
“Ultimately, from the farmer to the roaster, the barista and the customers – it’s the people who make coffee great. For appreciators of African coffee culture, it’s in our interest to grow the people who grow our coffee, ensuring that quality continues to soar in the region,” says founder of Bean There, Jonathan Robinson. Bean There has partnered with Motherland, ELAN RDC and Olam Coffee to design, fund, and promote Tip the Farmer.
