Your Coffee Can Help The World's Poorest Villages

If you're looking for a way to give back that wont break the bank, this post is for you. What if we told you that you could buy delicious coffee and doing so would support humanitarian efforts in the world's poorest villages? Well, you can and it does. Check THIS out. @PangeoCoffee's story started out in a roundabout way - as most good stories do. You can read the full story here, but I offer a quick summary: As Jeff Power, Pangeo's CEO, was preparing to go help Ethiopian villages in February 2011, which is (surprisingly, to me) a place with some of the world's most amazing coffee, it was suggested that Jeff ask supporters to pre-order bags of the famous Harrar coffee to help fund his trip and the village work. This worked out so well (after a few minor bumps) that Jeff created Pangeo and now sells this imported coffee through his website, made from the "finest coffee beans in the world from where we work in Africa and Asia." And the company only uses high-integrity local channels to identify amazing sources of coffee in each region that are reputable, very high-quality and sustainable for the farmers, selecting each location individually and carefully. Pangeo is a for profit company but Jeff tells us they're "committed to at least 20% of company profits going directly back to development work in the villages." And they'll increase that number in the future, but have to invest in growing the company at this stage. What does that 20% do? It supports development workers dedicated to helping poor villages in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and development projects in the villages like clean water filters, agriculture demonstration plots, micro-business loans, classrooms and on and on. But wait, who is Jeff Power? He's a former pastor and long-time participant (since 2007) in the Global Hope Network (GHNI). He has a pretty solid track record of doing good. But this now begs the question - what is GHNI? Well, GHNI could probably be a Pay It Forward Friday post on its own, but we'll touch on it here: The organization focuses on village development, or as they call it "village transformation" and is in 13 countries with more than 80 staff. Sponsors can fund many different projects, including GHNI staff. You can see the various projects, staff and more in the GHNI Donations Store and you can learn more about the organization here. So, now that we've sidetracked you, back to Pangeo. The GHNI description is meant to show why Pangeo invests through GHNI. It makes use of its many resources, including its in-country directors that perform hands-on work with poor villages. The PangeoCoffee idea started in February of last year (as we mentioned above), but didn't officially launch til November of last year and is still small. There are no paid employees yet and Jeff doesn't draw a salary as CEO. He has contracted out all the key functions -- the roasting, the order fulfillment, etc, with his office based in the Denver area. But we have a feeling it will grow - and quickly. Here's why: Jeff tells us, "We have been overwhelmed with the kindness of so many people. We just launched Pangeo Coffee in November, and we're been promoted by volunteers from coast to coast, and have sold our coffee in over 40 states. . . A major restaurant conference recently had us as their coffee sponsor, and several restaurant chains are now considering serving Pangeo Coffee. It's proof that when you set out to do good, you get great help from really good people!" So try it out - and share the Pangeo story with your friends. It won't only taste good, it will feel good. And a shout out to @TheLuxCrystal for bringing Pangeo to our attention. Thank you! (Coffee heart image from Shutterstock)

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Your Coffee Can Help The World's Poorest Villages

Mary C. Long

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Mary C. Long