Green Mountain Cafe – The Green Mountain Coffee Blog

We recently received this “thank you” video from one of our non-profit partners Save The Children. We work with Save The Children on food-security projects within our coffee – growing communities, but we also frequently direct GMCR’s disaster relief, both corporate and employee-funded, to them. Their emergency response work focuses on children – who are severely affected by disasters and their aftermaths.

In this video Save The Children provides an update on the work and progress that’s been made after the devastating earthquake in Haiti two years ago.

To learn more about Save The Children’s emergency response and disaster relief efforts around the world, visit Save The Children’s webpage.

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By: Liz Dorhman, CSR department volunteerism maven

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. offers its employees the opportunity to visit the communities we purchase our coffee from. Each year different groups of employees travel to these communities to visit farmers, pick coffee and follow its journey from tree to your cup. I was lucky to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity and traveled to Nicaragua with twelve co-workers from different departments and locations. We spent six days together learning about coffee and the communities that grow it.

One of the things I’ll remember most about this trip is how much work is behind my morning cup of coffee.

Our first day in Nicaragua we traveled to a sustainable coffee estate called Selva Negra. Selva Negra was the first place most of us had ever seen a coffee tree. Picking coffee is more challenging than you might think. Each cherry (the coffee bean is inside it), needs to be the perfect shade of red. When picking that perfectly ripe cherry you had to be careful not to remove the stem. The stem is where the next flower and then cherry will grow. Remove the stem, remove the chance for a new cherry and bean to grow. Picking was done by hand on each farm we visited, no matter the size. Most workers can fill a basket in an hour. It took me 45 minutes to just cover the bottom of my basket.

After picking, the pulp or fruit of the coffee cherry needs to be removed. Then the coffee needs to be washed and is partially dried at the farm. Next, it’s transported to a dry mill and spread on large cement patios where it is periodically turned to ensure uniform drying.  It’s then bagged and moved to a warehouse where it needs time to rest. Throughout this rest period, samples are taken from each bag. The coffee is roasted and tasted on site at a lab, where cuppers can tell if it needs to rest for longer. Once it’s ready, the coffee is sorted by size and quality and re-bagged for export.

Every cup of coffee I drink for the rest of my life will be a reminder of the hard work of coffee farmers around the world.

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Yesterday, Grounds for Health announced that they will be able to further develop their existing cervical cancer prevention programs in Nicaragua, Mexico, and Tanzania, and expand its program into Peru thanks to a three-year $900,000 grant from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. We’ve supported the Vermont-based non-profit through past grants as well as through the annual Grounds For Health Carwash. We’re excited to continue to support Grounds For Health’s efforts to establish sustainable and effective cervical cancer prevention and treatment programs in coffee-growing communities.

The announcement of this grant is particularly meaningful as January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. August Burns, the Executive Director of Grounds For Health says “It’s important to recognize that the greatest cancer killer of women in developing countries worldwide is cervical cancer, despite it being nearly 100% preventable”.

“We are proud to contribute to Grounds for Health’s important work in coffee-growing communities,” says Colleen Bramhall, GMCR Coffee Community Outreach Manager.  “The partnerships Grounds for Health forges with coffee cooperatives help break down barriers that stand between women and the care they need.  We are proud of the accomplishments of our Waterbury neighbor and look forward to continuing our collaboration.”

In the words of Fatima Ismael, cervical cancer survivor and general manager of the Soppexcca coffee cooperative, a long-time partner of both companies, “I think until my last breath, I will be eternally grateful for what [Grounds for Health] has done for us.”

You can find out more information on Grounds for Health on their webpage,  Facebook or Twitter .

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Photo by David Estrada

This post was written by Mary Beth Jenssen. Mary Beth works on our Supply-Chain Outreach Team

Heifer International is an organization working to improve the livelihoods of those strugglingaround the world with issues of hunger and poverty. With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer projects help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways.   Heifer’s 12 cornerstones guide all they do, such as the well-known policy of “Passing on the Gift.” Passing on the Gift requires families who receive Heifer gifts, such as a pig, to donate offspring of that gift, in this case, piglets, to another family in need, creating ongoing benefit to the community.

GMCR has partnered with Heifer on several projects over the years. Currently, we support five Heifer projects in five different countries: Honduras, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Each project with different activities, but the same goal of improving the lives of those in our coffee supply chain. These projects represent a better future for over 30,000 people, nearly 5,000 families, and a combined effort of 24 years of development work.

In Honduras and Peru, the project provides training and support for “Passing on the Gift” so that farmers and their families are not only able to care for the animals they receive, but also to help families that receive offspring of that initial animal.  The farmers and their families learn to care effectively for the animals, such as what foods to feed them and how to build a pen or fence. These animals improve food security for the entire family and, ultimately, the community.

In addition to sharing livestock, projects in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua include activities focused on farm diversification. One way diversification is achieved is through family gardens. These gardens increase the variety of foods in the family diet and, therefore, lead to improved nutrition.  Gardens also offer an opportunity to sell excess crops for profit, and Heifer helps these farmers by strengthening linkages to local markets.  In order to ensure the success and sustainability of the project, Heifer includes strong educational components around nutrition, farmer technical assistance, and ecosystem sustainability through improved watershed management and reforestation.

GMCR is a proud partner of Heifer International. With each new project we choose to support, our relationship grows and strengthens our commitment to improving the livelihoods of those coffee farmers. I encourage you to check out Heifer yourself and see what they are doing both in the US and abroad

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During the past couple days, while email and phone calls have slowed down in the office, my coworkers and I started to reminisce about the past year at GMCR. It is a wonderful experience working at a growing company, but it was nice to slow down a bit this week and look back at some of the highpoints for us working in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department.  

For me, it’s all about the growth. As our business has grown, so has our 5% fund. We’ve expanded our reach exponentially since I started with the company 5 years ago. There are more resources to grant to deserving non-profits in coffee-growing communities and in new supply chains. We’ve started employee community grant programs at our Employee Sites throughout the U.S. Our department has also grown – welcoming 3 new members to the CSR this year. It is truly amazing to see the ongoing development of our CSR programs.

Liz Dohrman, Enterprise Volunteerism Specialist

Working on the domestic team in our CSR department, I know a lot about our work in coffee growing communities but had never had the chance to see the projects we support in person. In December I had the opportunity to visit Nicaragua as part of this year’s employee source trip. In a little town called San Ramon, we met children attending Coffee Camp. Coffee Camps were started by a small, Vermont-based non-profit called Planting Hope. Parents who work in the fields to harvest coffee frequently leave their young children at home alone. Coffee Camps offer a safe place for kids to go during their school vacation. Instead of being left home alone in remote areas, they go to camp where snacks and a meal are provided and a school-like curriculum is presented, with a little fun thrown in, too. Meeting these kids was incredible. Many live in remote areas in meager conditions with few possessions. We had the opportunity to play with them and see how happy they are, despite the many challenges facing them. I’m very proud to work for a company that supports projects like Planting Hope’s Coffee Camps.

Eliza Dodd, Domestic Community Outreach

One of my 2011 highlights was participating in GMCR’s River Clean-Up week! It is a great opportunity for employees to get out and give back to our local communities. I had a blast digging tires out of the river, paddling down the Winooski, and meeting folks from other departments in the company.

Mary Beth Jenssen, Supply-Chain Outreach

When thinking back on my first year as a GMCR employee, the part that sticks out in my mind above the rest is the people. Stated many times, but all too often unproven, is the importance of great coworkers.  GMCR has a culture that values collaboration, open dialogue and growth that is proven through its employees. I have never met a coworker that I didn’t like and have been fortunate enough to have made many friends over the last 11 months and that is  a rare thing to find at work. Having wonderful coworkers can be a reason you come in to work each day, a reason you stay with the company rather than looking to move out, a reason you are able to accomplish a seemingly impossible project. 2011 at GMCR has been filled with wonderful coworkers that showed me what it means to work at a great place.

Thank you for following our work throughout the year.

And Happy New Year!

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We’re happy to support our troops all year round with great tasting coffee. It is especially great to know that those comforts of home are also there during the holidays. Over the past month employees have also been volunteering their time to send some holiday cheer to our service men and woman.

In our Knoxville, Tennesee facility employees used their company sponsored volunteer time to make cards for the American Red Cross’ Holiday Mail for Heroes program. The cards, handcrafted by volunteers across the country, are sent to service men and women, their families and veterans all over the world. Employees crafted cards and messages of thanks. In total they made 515 cards!

At our Keurig facility in Reading, Massachusetts employees decorated 190 Christmas Stockings and put together 380 grab bags. Both the Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee brands have a strong relationship with the Pease Greeters Organizations through volunteer events like this and brewer and coffee donations.

This effort was particularly meaningful to the Reading, MA employees. The stockings and bags are being delivered to a Unit from Reading currently serving in Afghanistan.

Thank you to the American Red Cross and Pease Greeters for providing opportunities like these so that we can give back in a special way during the holidays!

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This post was written by Mary Beth Jenssen. Mary Beth works on our Supply-Chain Outreach Team.

Filmmaker Q&A (Photo by Madison Gouzie)

I made a film once when I was in high school. It was one of those classic group projects that loom over your head until three days before it’s due when the group finally decides it’s time to put aside their laziness and work together to pull it off. For one such project, I was fortunate enough to have some rather talented artists in my group. We decided to make a film. Six hours of footage and 48 hours of editing later our 7 minute film was presented to the class. This whole process completely changed the way I viewed film-making. It truly is a labor of love and a keen ability to visually craft a story that, for many filmmakers engages, inspires, and motivates its viewers.

Jury Award Winner Andrew Hinton (Photo Madison Gouzie)

Media That Matters (MTM) is a program of Arts Engine, a nonprofit dedicated to driving change by connecting media, technology, and community. Each year they challenge filmmakers to create a film that engages, inspires and motivates. This October, two colleagues and I were fortunate enough to attend the 2011 Premiere as representatives of After the Harvest: Fighting Hunger in the Coffeelands, a film supported by GMCR. We live in a culture of sound bites. If the message is not delivered within 5 minutes (or 2 for some) we are checked out and that message falls on deaf ears. The challenge that MTM poses filmmakers is to choose an important topic – however you, the filmmaker, may define it – and then share that message through a short film in such a way that calls the viewers to take action. No easy feat I assure you.

The World Premiere was in NYC where 13 films were shown and each filmmaker received an award and recognition for their work. Filmmakers presented topics that mattered not only to them, but to the world – or should matter to the world – and wove in a message of hope or an example of a solution that allowed the viewer to

Isaac Haney-Owens Emerging Voice Award winner (photo by Madison Gouzie)

join a movement towards change.

Watching the films was powerful. The audience laughed and cried, moved in a new direction every  10 minutes. For me, the best part of the weekend event was the filmmaker brunch just prior to the premiere. I asked the filmmakers what motivated them, what inspired them. For some it was the love of film, for others, the injustice they saw in the world and a drive to make change. Whatever the reason, they were joined together by this passion for a medium that many of us enjoy watching, but few of us attempt to create ourselves. This drive to create and to be unique is something that is valued in our society, but not something that we are allowed the time or resources to pursue. It can be an expensive, time-consuming and agonizing experience. It is one that conjures up images of the classic “starving artist.” This was the topic at my table. Where is the money? Once you find the money, how to you get it? Once you get it, how do you produce to satisfy your own agenda and the donor’s agenda? The pressures that come with being a small filmmaker are ones that I do not envy, but I do respect.

MTM is an event that gives a voice to the less known filmmakers. These filmmakers have as much talent as any and you can hear their voice and feel their passion in just 10 minutes. I encourage you to check out all the MTM films and feel engaged, be inspired, and take action as I was that evening.

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