We are so excited to see such an amazing initiative from this team of businesses. Tip the Farmer is a collaboration between Bean There Coffee Company, Motherland Coffee Co, Élan RDC (From Democratic Republic of Congo) and Olam Coffee that aims to create a platform where you can tip the farmers behind your cup of coffee directly. It's a very interesting approach. It focuses specifically on two co-operatives, one in Burundi and one in Democratic Republic of Congo. The monetary goal has 40 days to be reached so that these farmers receive the 'tips' from you the consumer. If they reach the goal, the rewards for these co-ops will be incredible, let's help them get there!
Bean There is making it even easier to get involved and show your love by offering free coffees on National Coffee Day (This Saturday, 29 September) between 9am-12pm and encouraging you to rather donate the money you would've spent on a coffee directly to the farmers.
From their website:
"Tip the Farmer creates an opportunity for coffee lovers everywhere to directly tip the farmers who produce the exceptional coffee we enjoy. From farmer to barista to customer its people that make coffee great and your appreciation can help to grow farmers and change communities.
We help coffee-farming families, cooperatives, and community-based organizations identify challenges, resources, and strategies to build long-term solutions to increase production and quality of the coffee they grow and ultimately to improving their communities as a whole. We don’t assume we know what the farmers need, instead, we help communities identify locally appropriate solutions and strategies – and support them in making these a reality."
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 in to 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.
Bean There has roasteries at 44 Stanley and 111 Smit Street (Johannesburg) and 58 Wale Street (Cape Town).
