Caribou Coffee Company Inc. announced that it is joining forces with Project 7 and its fans this April to make a difference around the world. As the first major U.S. coffeehouse to source all coffees and espresso from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, Caribou Coffee is equally committed to operating practices that promote sustainability and environmental protection.
Caribou and Project 7 share a commitment to both community and sustainability. Project 7 is a company dedicated to making "products for good," focusing on seven areas of need around the globe: helping to Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach them Well, and Save the Earth.
This year, understanding that many of Caribou's passionate and generous fans live beyond the communities in which there are coffeehouses, the company and Project 7 are launching a special social media initiative for Earth Month so that fans everywhere can participate and show their commitment to the environment. For every new "Like" on Caribou's Facebook page during the month of April, Caribou and Project 7 will plant a fruit tree in Central or South America. Together the companies will plant fruit trees to not only help restore the earth, but to provide a great source of food for the local community, that they can use for trading purposes to improve their economy.
Continuing with its year-round partnership, Caribou and Project 7 will also plant a fruit tree in Central or South America for every "Save the Earth" water, mints, or gum that is purchased at Caribou coffeehouses in the U.S. during April. Throughout the year, Caribou contributes to Project 7 initiatives all over the world when guests purchase these Project 7 products in Caribou coffeehouses. The company is proud to announce that in 2012, this partnership helped to plant more than 100,000 trees, feed the hungry in U.S. communities with 35,000 meals, provide more than 3,000 days of shelter for those in need, and much more.
"At Caribou, we believe that providing our fans with extraordinary coffeehouse experiences and being environmentally and socially responsible go hand in hand," says Alfredo Martel, senior vice president of marketing and product management. "We're thrilled to partner with Project 7 this year in celebration of Earth Month to provide support around the world in helping our society and environment. We also want to get our fans involved in the action, so we're excited to be able to engage them in stores and online, and rally them around this cause that's close to our hearts."
In 2012, Caribou became the first major U.S. coffeehouse retailer to source 100 percent of its coffee and espresso beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. This certification ensures that farmers, as well as their families and greater communities, receive decent wages, access to education and medical care, and that beans are harvested responsibly to protect the environment. More than a year after reaching this milestone, Caribou remains committed to maintaining this level of certification as it helps to improve the livelihoods of coffee farming communities across the globe, while providing consumers with high-quality, sustainable coffee.
To encourage its fans to drink sustainably year-round, Caribou offers all customers who use a reusable tumbler in their locations a 10-cent discount on their beverage. Coffee drinkers should once again look forward to Caribou's Earth Day offer: the company will be providing a free coffee to all customers who bring in a reusable mug or tumbler on April 22.
