Sustainability
Building a sustainable business is central to Counter Culture Coffee's mission. We strive to be leaders in sustainable coffee and combine our commitment to buying high-quality coffee with respect for the natural environment.
Since the beginning, we have sought coffee that not only tastes good but also does good—for our local community and for all of the communities around the world where our partners grow coffee—and we continue to raise our standards as we make progress. Whether through our our Counter Culture Direct Trade Certification or our projects aimed at reducing our environmental footprint, our day-to-day decisions reflect our dedication to real environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability.
Our vision is to pursue coffee perfection by creating partnerships that ensure prosperity for all people, improving the natural environment and operating efficiently to minimize our environmental impact.
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| Sustainability News and Events | ||
Catching Up with our Seeds Program, Week 2
11-21-12
Seeds is an acronym that stands for Sustaining Environmental and Educational Development at Source. Our Seeds program was created to structure and define Counter Culture's monetary contributions to projects that are not coffee-quality-specific but still benefit our coffee-producing partners and their communities. To date, we have contributed a total of $24,963 to projects in 6 countries. We'd like to catch you up on the projects we have funded over the last couple of years through our Seeds program with eye toward more regular updates of ongoing projects.
Our Second Project: Activity Field Adjacent to a School
Finca Pashapa
Pashapa, Honduras
Finca Pashapa
Pashapa, Honduras
In 2011, we were approached by a longtime partner of ours, Roberto Salazar, who had a vision for his community. Together, nearby producers had often talked about their desire to have a community space where people could gather. Initially, the community board came together to discuss the added value of an activity field.
The goal was to provide a safe space for youth to gather and to encourage substance abuse prevention through providing an alternative activity. Once all were in consensus, they began to plan. They agreed to contribute a large monetary amount on their own for the success of the project and then reached out to Counter Culture.
Activity "fields" in Latin America are often made out of poured concrete, much like a basketball court. Here people gather to play all manner of sports, most popular being soccer and volleyball. I suppose some of the rational for cement playing fields is that they are often in very rainy areas, so, while it may be slightly painful if you were to fall and scrape yourself, it’s preferable to sinking in the mud while trying to beat your competitor!
Now that the field has been built, it has been well-used. The youth of the area come out often to play sports. When adults in the community see their activities, they are also inspired and often join in or simply use the field as a meeting space. The community leadership let us know that they feel pleased about the field’s ability to contribute to the physical and emotional well being of the community.
Stay tuned for the next installment in our updates on Seeds projects!
'Til next time,
Hannah
Hannah
