Kieran Mundy
Contributing Writer
A partnership between water and coffee, two of the world’s most common beverages, just might have the power to change the world. At least that’s the thinking behind an on-campus social justice project spearheaded by Bailey Connor ’15. For the project, participants are seeking to change the world, “one cup at a time.”
It all started in 2011, when Dan Hildebrandt and Paul Cebul founded Reach Trade, a local coffee company based in Wooster. Like any business, the aim was to make money; however, Reach Trade was also created with the goal of providing clean water to communities in need, specifically those in developing countries in the Americas. In this way, Reach Trade calls itself a business with a social justice focus, the idea being that the business market is powerful, and, if employed in the right way, a very effective tool for changing the world in a positive manner. Being a for-profit company, they aim to seek both capital growth and growth in social value investment. In order to do so, they give five percent of their profits toward water relief efforts and organize trips in which participants work with small villages in the Americas to provide clean water for the community.
Connor got actively involved with Reach Trade this past summer, when she was funded through an APEX Fellowship to travel to Peru and work with Reach Trade to directly improve water quality. She spent time working on a coffee farm that grows coffee sold and exported by Reach Trade. She also traveled to neighboring communities in Peru and learned about the water systems there, discovering that most of the water was heavily contaminated.
This year, Connor is looking to bring the Reach Trade movement to the College and the surrounding Wooster community. To do so, she and a small group of other students are hosting a series of events on campus to raise money for a water filter in Pangoa, Peru, a community that has suffered acutely in the past. Altogether, the goal is to raise $1500 through coffee sales and donations. On Saturday, Nov. 16, The Shack will host an event to work toward this end. The students working with Reach Trade are inviting students to try Reach Trade coffee throughout the day and learn a little bit about the work they do. Additionally, The Shack has agreed to donate 10 percent of the day’s profits to clean water relief efforts.
“The idea behind the business model was to trade the world’s most popular beverage, coffee, for the world’s most vital beverage, water,” said Connor. “So by simply drinking a cup of Reach Trade coffee, you are helping fight the world water crisis. Think about how many people drink coffee everyday? One little act like that could add up to making a huge difference in the world.”