Sustainability

When I entered in the coffee world, I really only had one thought in mind...I want to help

farmers understand their own personal value as human beings, to know the worth of

what they produce, the quantitative value of what they bring to local, national, and

global markets and how to improve their livelihoods. I could not have ever imagined the

journey that I was embarking upon. Truth be told, there isn’t a day that passes that I do

not still marvel and the breadth and depth of these themes and the challenges the

pursuit of them has brought to my own life.

Sustainability, upon entrance into this sector, seemed to me like a straightforward

process. I could not have been more wrong. It is far more complicated and complex

than I would have ever imagined.

When we look at the definition of sustainability, we are assessing for the ability of

something to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed. Often, we view

sustainability, as I did, through very narrow lenses. Some view sustainability as a

primarily environmental issue. Others view it from a labor and resource availability

perspective. While still others, see it through the lens of social responsibility. I viewed it

as sustaining coffee supply by encouraging farmers to embrace their personal worth,

autonomy, and efficacy, while learning business skills that would allow them to build a

legacy for their families. This in turn, in my way of thinking, strengthens the markets as

a whole, if everyone understands the power of what they bring to the table and how it

can encourage others along the way.

It is my desire, for those who chose to join us in exploring this theme, to provide

information relating to sustainability in its various expressions once a month. It is my

hope to encourage those of us here in the States, a consumer nation, to understand

what it has taken to get that cup of coffee into our hands and how we, as consumers,

can honor those who have given so much to provide it for us. Stay posted...we will

begin at origin.

Thanks for joining us on El Camino!

Ronda