A simple idea

Coffee brings so much pleasure. I enjoy so many parts of the experience, the smell of freshly ground coffee in the morning, the ritual and challenge of making a barista quality coffee, the joy of sharing a coffee with a friend in an amazing Melbourne cafe, the search for decent coffee when travelling and of course the rich and varied taste and comfort that only a coffee brings. Throughout my adult life I’ve had a close connection with coffee, I see it as a key way of connecting with people, to the extent that in three different companies now I’ve introduced random coffee/fika catchups for people to get to know each other better.

What has recently dawned upon me when chatting with my friend Harsha is that this amazing coffee that we enjoy every day comes from some of the poorest places on earth. Coffee originates from Ethiopia where a goatherder called Kaldi discovered these amazing beans that we enjoy every day (hence the name of the project). However in Ethiopia 50% of the population doesn’t even have access to clean water. Some of the best coffees in the world are grown in countries like Guatemala where 56% of the population lives below the poverty line (https://www.humanium.org/en/guatemala/)

It’s great that many of our top coffee roasters are seeking more information about the producers and how they support their local communities. But perhaps there is even more that can be done? The simple idea that started The Kaldi Project is: what if the profits goes back to the country that produced the coffee? So with that idea, I’ve started researching, sourcing and hopefully one day will be able to make a significant contribution to those who need it most in the countries that grow our beloved coffee. Then we can add another element of joy to one of the best experiences of every day.

Troy Verhagen, Founder