Supporting local producers with FarmFolk CityFolk
Salt Spring Coffee is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with our good friends at FarmFolk CityFolk. Over the next four years, we’ll be working with these inspiring folks on their Feast of Fields event series and an innovative micro loan program through our 1% for the Planet program.
Who is FarmFolk CityFolk?
FarmFolk CityFolk is a not-for-profit society that seeks to cultivate a local and sustainable food system. How? By protecting and providing access to foodlands, supporting local growers and producers, and celebrating local food in communities. Their summer Feast of Fields, which connects people in BC with local food producers in a series of daylong harvest festivals, is not to be missed. It’s easily one of our favourite events of the season.
Why FarmFolk CityFolk?
Salt Spring Coffee’s Fair to Farmer program puts fairness to farmers at the core of our business by: building direct-trade partnerships with coffee growers at origin; protecting human rights and equity through our Institute for Marketecology (IMO) Fair for Life certification; and supporting sustainability initiatives through our 1% for the Planet membership.
As a champion for sustainable agriculture and local food, FarmFolk CityFolk embodies the spirit of our Fair to Farmer Manifesto like no other:
“I am #fairtofarmer. Whenever possible, I eat local, seasonal food grown by farmers. I have the power to nurture my local food system by supporting farmers wherever possible. The food local farmers grow and animals they care for are delicious, good for me and good for the planet. By living #fairtofarmer I honor my body, my community and my planet.”
We’ve worked with and admired FarmFolk CityFolk for years, so this latest 1% for the Planet partnership is a natural next step in our sustainability journey.
What will the partnership look like?
In addition to supporting and providing coffee for Feast of Fields events in Vancouver, in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island, we’ll be dedicating some our 1% for the Planet funds to FarmFolk CityFolk’s micro-loan program. It’s an innovative initiative that gives local food producers access to the capital they need to grow their businesses, but more on that next time…
What is 1% for the Planet?
Glad you asked! 1% for the Planet is a global group of companies that have pledged to donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations. Salt Spring Coffee joined the movement in 2012, becoming the first Canadian coffee company to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to the environment.
Since then, we have donated more than $275,000 to 15 organizations (14 in BC and one at coffee origin in Uganda) that support local organic farmers. Every time you choose Salt Spring Coffee, at least 1% of the proceeds from your purchase goes on to support projects and organizations that are working toward a truly sustainable planet. It’s a choice you can feel good about.
What next?
Learn more about FarmFolk CityFolk
Learn more about 1% for the Planet
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