Coffee Kids's Blog

Pulling Shots and Serving Others

Baristas around the world team up with Coffee Kids to support coffee-farming families

Baristas from over 50 countries will compete for the honor of World Champion Barista at the 11th Annual World Barista Championship (WBC) in London, England, June 23-25. The event will also feature efforts to raise awareness and funds for Coffee Kids, an international nonprofit dedicated to helping coffee-farming families.

This year, the WBC will be held in conjunction… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on May 8, 2010 at 9:13am — No Comments

2nd Homeroaster’s Online Auction for Coffee Kids Kicks Off

The 2nd Annual Homeroaster's Auction began on Saturday, May 1st. There are over 77 amazing items that will be auctioned off throughout the month of May. Last year's auction raised over $5,600 for Coffee Kids. Companies and individuals from the specialty coffee industry have donated an assortment of top-quality green coffee, magazine subscriptions, grinders, brewers, roasters and much more, with all proceeds going directly to Coffee Kids.

The auction will be hosted by the… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on May 3, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

On Our Way to SCAA

Staff at Coffee Kids are busy prepping for the upcoming Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Expo in Anaheim, CA, April 15-18. If you’re planning to attend, visit us at booth #2157 in the expo hall. We’ll have our new t-shirts on display ready to take orders.

For all baristas, the Barista Exchange Traveling Darth Vader will be at our booth. If you'd like to have Darth Vader pay a visit to your shop, let us know and you can take him…

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Added by Coffee Kids on April 13, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments

Visit Coffee Kids at SCAA

Staff at Coffee Kids are busy prepping for the upcoming Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Expo in Anaheim, CA, April 15-18. If you’re planning to attend, visit us at booth #2157 in the expo hall. We’ll have our new t-shirts on display ready to take orders.

We’ll also be selling tickets for the Coffee Kids Benefit drawing. There are three great prizes, including Behmor Roasters, a Mypressi Handheld Espresso Machine from Visions Espresso,…

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Added by Coffee Kids on April 7, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Seeing it Firsthand: Board Visits Oaxaca, Pt. 2

Coffee Kids Board Member, Bill Mares. recently traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, to visit one of Coffee Kids’ partners and learn more about our efforts. He shares a bit of his visit below. Coffee Kids Board President Guy Burdett, who traveled on the trip, also contributed a blog entry here.

Two weeks ago, several Coffee Kids board members tagged… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on March 15, 2010 at 9:38am — No Comments

Enter the Coffee Kids Drawing! Win a home roaster, an espresso machine or coffee!

We are excited to announce the second annual benefit drawing for Coffee Kids with three great prizes from Coffee Kids supporters. The drawing will be held on Sunday, April 18 at 1 pm at the Coffee Kids' booth (#2157) at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Expo in Anaheim, CA.

Tickets for the drawing are available for a suggested donation of $25 (five entries for a donation of $100) and participants need not be present to win. Please visit Coffee Kids… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on February 23, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Featured Donor: Sweet Maria's

Over the past few years, interest in home coffee roasting has grown exponentially and Sweet Maria’s, based in Oakland, CA, has played a central role in the movement.

Their website offers advice on how to choose a home roaster, detailed roasting instructions, photos of beans at each roasting stage and forums for discussing all things coffee. They also sell supplies and equipment, and green coffee to… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on January 15, 2010 at 12:05pm — No Comments

Latin American Farmers Leaving Organic Coffee

Latin American countries account for 75% of the world's organic coffee production. But even as demand for organic coffee has increased, coffee farmers are being forced to return to conventional cultivation using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the article, "Organic coffee: Why Latin… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on January 12, 2010 at 10:13am — No Comments

Coffee Kids Holiday Cards Available

Looking for the perfect greeting card this holiday season? Thanks to Urnex for underwriting the printing, we have Coffee Kids holiday cards available. The cover features a beautiful image of a coffee plant by photographer Dorie Hagler from her photo documentary, Behind Every Cup.

A set of ten (10) Holiday Greeting Cards costs $15 plus shipping and handling. (Inside message: Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and prosperous New Year!) Contact us to place your order at… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on November 25, 2009 at 9:31am — No Comments

Fresh from the Field: Chiapas

By José Luis Zárate, Coffee Kids International Program Director

In mid-October, I visited our partner ICSUR in Chiapas, Mexico. Men and women there are learning to raise chickens and edible mushrooms and to utilize traditional medicine for common illnesses. Their edible mushroom project, which was financed by Coffee Kids in the past, became completely self-sustaining last year. It was great… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on November 18, 2009 at 9:42am — No Comments

Deepening Fair Trade: A Panel Perspective

Coffee Kids was invited to participate on a panel at the Ross Net Impact Conference, "Markets with a Mission," at the University of Michigan on October 15-16.

The discussion, “Deepening Fair Trade: Efforts in Coffee-farming Communities to Improve the Lives of Farmers and Their Families,” reviewed approaches to creating more sustainable communities in the coffee lands. Along with Kyle Freund… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on October 21, 2009 at 9:44am — No Comments

Visiting Friends in Ann Arbor

While in Ann Arbor for the Ross Net Impact Conference at the University of Michigan, Communications Manager, Kyle Freund, visited a few Coffee Kids friends.

Zingerman's Coffee

The Zingerman's Community of Businesses is a family of small food related companies in the Ann Arbor area. Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and run the business. Kyle met with Allan Liebowitz and Steve Mangigian, managing partners of… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on October 21, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Coffee Kids Voice from the Field: Jose (Chepe) Xalix Morales

We arrived at Chepe’s house at 6:55 p.m. just as the sun was beginning to set. He welcomed us and offered us seats while fiddling with the knobs on his radio.

Chepe, 29, is a proud participant in a Coffee Kids-supported literacy and education program managed by the Association for the Sustainable Development of Paraxaj (ADESPA) near the town of Acatenango, Guatemala. Coffee Kids has worked with ADESPA… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on October 13, 2009 at 11:57am — No Comments

O Canada! O Coffee!

The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show in Vancouver begins Wednesday, October 14 and runs through the 15th. Coffee Kids will have a booth (#205) in the exhibition hall and is also a sponsor of the show. If you plan to attend the show, stop by our booth and say hello to Coffee Kids’ Development Coordinator Joey Apodaca.

The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show is a celebration of the global… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on October 6, 2009 at 3:55pm — No Comments

Coffee is Not Enough for Families

A recent article in Time Magazine looked at Fair Trade and some of the problems coffee farmers are experiencing (Fair Trade: What Price for Good Coffee?). Rick Peyser of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, who serves on our board, is interviewed in the piece.

It all seems to come back to, 'coffee is not enough.' In many of these… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on October 1, 2009 at 9:59am — No Comments

Babies, Widows, Bread and More: A Busy Visit to Guate

September 7-13, 2009, Program Director Jose Luis Zarate and International Program Coordinator Jose Carlos Leon visited Coffee Kids' partners APROS and ADESPA in Guatemala.

Our first stop was in San Pedro La Laguna, on the shores of Lake Atitlan, where APROS trains local health promoters who teach women in their communities pre- and post-natal care, the use of medicinal plants and the importance of a nutritious diet. APROS Widow’s Project offers medical check-ups, basic food… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on September 22, 2009 at 12:11pm — No Comments

Send Your Favorite Student a Coffee Kids Off-to-College Gift

We're proud to announce a special promotion in our shop right now. Get your favorite college student or (barista who might be headed back to school) on the right foot by sending a Coffee Kids Off-to-College Gift Check out our shop for information at http://www.coffeekids.org/shop.

For $50, we will send a Coffee Kids mug,… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on August 28, 2009 at 10:13am — No Comments

We talked a bit about the effects of climate change on coffee lands briefly in a blog entry in May, but the issue was given more attention in a recent article on Reuters. "Climate change threatens C…

We talked a bit about the effects of climate change on coffee lands briefly in a blog entry in May, but the issue was given more attention in a recent article on Reuters.

Harvesting coffee in Oaxaca

"… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on August 24, 2009 at 9:55am — No Comments

La Voz: Coffee Kids Summer Newsletter is Out!

Coffee Kids' partners are going local! Read about how our partners are launching efforts to develop their local economies and bring services to their communities.

Download our latest newsletter at http://xrl.us/be9d3p - (1.9mb pdf). If you have any questions or want to get involved in helping coffee-farming famlies, give us a call at 505-820-1443 or e-mail us at info@coffeekids.org.

Added by Coffee Kids on August 10, 2009 at 11:49am — No Comments

Featured Donor: DaVinci Gourmet

DaVinci Gourmet, the industry leader in gourmet syrups, is that rare company that extends support of the specialty coffee industry through the entire chain of supply – from coffee growers to beverages served worldwide. Whether it is sponsoring a myriad of barista competitions or providing menu and technical support to small cafes, many witness first hand DaVinci’s support. In particular is their exceptional support of Coffee… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on July 17, 2009 at 12:54pm — No Comments

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