Sometimes topics just show up announced.
Such was the case this past Saturday when Steve Hackman happened to be offering samples of his drink local, think global coffee.
I tasted the espresso which was great.
What got my interest as much as the caffeine fix was the fact that his One Village Coffee company (based in Pennsylvania) is a 'social business' and that they are certified organic.
What is social about their business model you might ask?
The answer: part of the profits generated by One Village Coffee will go towards funding the Intercontinental Education Community Center whose goal is to provide schooling to children K to 12 as well as adult education (via its e-learning center) in Nigeria.
Some of their offerings are also Fair Trade certified.
They inform us that for example, one of their purveyors, Cafe Mesa de Los Santos Estate in the Santander region of eastern Columbia besides "paying above average wages offers free health care for the workers and their 548 family members, education allowance for children, insurance coverage for temporary or permanent work disability, and a pension fund to provide retirement benefits."
I learned from Mesa de los Santos Revisited (John Cossette, 2003) that adding to its green credential Cafe Mesa is "certified by the Smithsonian as Bird Friendly for its shade tree cover, in addition to being one of the first certified organic farms in the country."
Java on higher ground for Green Day # 83
Previously on Green Day: An Organic Verdejo with a Montrachet Bent, Ossian 2006 from Rueda
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