Here are some of the things going on at the Coffee Kids’ offices in Santa Fe, NM and Oaxaca, Mexico – your chance to hang around the water cooler with us.
From June 16-23, 2008, I attended the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe’s (SCAE) “Wonderful Coffee” Conference and Expo in Copenhagen, Denmark. Joining me were Executive Director Carolyn Fairman and Board President Rob Stephen.
During the event SCAE members and friends came together for workshops, trainings, the World Barista Championship and a trade show with several hundred exhibitors. Given the growing number of European supporters and heightened interest in Coffee Kids’ work, we decided to attend the event thanks to gracious support from the SCAE.
Mick Wheeler and Jens Henrik Thomsen of the SCAE went out of their way to welcome Coffee Kids, and even organized an event-wide fundraiser, whereby proceeds from all the bottled water sold at the event benefited Coffee Kids. Large posters all around the venue publicized the fundraiser and did much to increase Coffee Kids’ visibility. Several other businesses also did on-site fundraisers for Coffee Kids.
Baresso Coffee of Denmark organized a coffee-tasting contest with $2 donated to Coffee Kids for every correct answer. Beyond the Bean from the U.K. donated half of the proceeds from their smoothie sales to Coffee Kids.
It was wonderful to meet so many new people, including business owners from all over Europe and Scandinavia, who wanted to learn more about Coffee Kids. Many of them had heard about the organization, but didn’t know the scope of our work.
I experienced great enthusiasm and interest from both small and large coffee businesses, from the corner café and large-scale roasters to espresso machine manufacturers. We look forward to increasing our presence in Europe and would like to thank all of our supporters and friends for the wonderful welcome!
That suggestion may not be feasible for everyone, but it’s what Alan Leckey, a distributor for Coffee Kids member, The Java Republic, is doing. Leckey is in Alaska climbing Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, as a fundraiser for Coffee Kids.
Coffee Kids was one of a few non-profits featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican article, Microlending: Bankers to the Poor, on Sunday, June 1. The story featured quotes from Coffee Kids Executive Director Carolyn Fairman and information on our partners AUGE in Veracruz, Mexico, and CECOCAFEN in Nicaragua, who are working in microlending. To learn more about these two groups, check out our program pages to read how our partners AUGE and CECOCAFEN are changing lives and fortunes.
A sidebar also featured additional information on us and the other featured non-profits.
Coffee Kids is proud to announce that our 20th Anniversary Dinner celebration raised nearly $100,000. Over 240 people attended the event held May 3 during the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Conference & Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minn.
Representatives from Longbottom Coffee and Tea, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation, DaVinci Gourmet and Putumayo World Music made presentations on the importance of helping to ensure an improved quality of life for coffee-farming families. Luca Mundaca, a Putumayo recording artist, performed at the event.
Retiring Founder Bill Fishbein was honored by representatives from CECOCAFEN, a Coffee Kids partner in Nicaragua working in education and microfinance. In a heartfelt tribute CECOCAFEN established the Bill Fishbein Medal of Academic Excellence. The medal will be given to one outstanding student each year and will cover the costs of the student’s continuing education.
The celebration dinner also featured the screening of a new film on Coffee Kids’ impact produced by Machine Hero, a communication arts company based in Providence, R.I. The video can be seen on our blog. To see pictures from the dinner, check out our Flickr page.
Money raised at the celebration will be used to help Coffee Kids’ partners continue their efforts in coffee-farming communities in Latin America. Coffee Kids’ 12 partners work in economic diversification, health care, education and other community-based programs that help improve quality of life for coffee-farming families and reduce their reliance on the coffee crop.
Special thanks go to all of our supporters and sponsors who made this event possible.
We had a great time at the 2008 Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minn. Check out our Flickr page for images from the weekend. The 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner went well with almost 300 new and old supporters and members joining us to celebrate 20 years of Coffee Kids and Founder Bill Fishbein’s retirement.
CoffeeGeek.com featured a couple blog posts on our events and our booth.
Coffee Kids was delighted to be able to present at the keynote address at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Conference and Exhibition.
In honor of our 20th Anniversary, Coffee Kids would like to thank all of our members, partners and sponsors throughout the world who have helped make it possible. We recently completed this video with the help of Machine Hero, a Providence, R.I.-based firm. It features images from our partners in Latin America and interviews with a number of our long term supporters and friends. The video explores Coffee Kids effect in the global coffee community and how support for Coffee Kids translates to support for the long term future of the specialty coffee industry.
Please leave comments on the video below and thanks for making our first two decades rewarding and fruitful!
If you are attending the SCAA Conference in Minneapolis, be sure to visit us at our booth #1241 and learn how your contributions are making a difference and if you can’t make the conference, check out our Web site to learn more about our work.
Thanks to all of our sponsors and those who signed up early, Coffee Kids’ 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner is sold out. We look forward to celebrating two decades with everyone attending.
If you weren’t able to get tickets to the event, be sure to visit our booth (#1241) in the exhibition hall. We’ll be featuring a plethora of information on our efforts with coffee-growing families.
All of us at Coffee Kids would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and co-workers of David Williamson, managing director of Matthew Algie and dedicated Coffee Kid supporter, who passed away last week.
Williamson, a sixth-generation descendant of the founder of the 144-year-old coffee importer and roaster in Glasgow, was dedicated to Coffee Kids’ mission and a firm believer in helping create a more sustainable lifestyle for coffee-farming families.
Williamson was not only a supporter, but also a close friend and will be sorely missed by all at Coffee Kids.
Our 20th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for May 3, 2008, at the SCAA Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis, Minn., just keeps getting better. We’re happy to announce that Luca Mundaca, a recording artist with Putumayo World Music, will be performing at the event.
Mundaca, a self-taught guitarist and vocalist, has appeared on the Putumayo compilations “Women of the World Acoustic” and “Brazilian Lounge.” She was born in Chile and moved with her family to a small town south of Sao Paulo, Brazil, when she was six. At age 15 she began teaching herself to play guitar and has dedicated her life to music. For more information on Mundaca, check out her profile on Putumayo’s site.
Along with Mundaca’s performance, Coffee Kids 20th Anniversary Dinner celebration will feature a short Coffee Kids movie and a variety of speakers including Founder Bill Fishbein, Executive Director Carolyn Fairman, Board President Rob Stephen and longtime contributors and representatives from our partner organizations in Latin America.
Dinner reservations for the event are required. Please contact Heather Ferraro at or 505-820-1443 for reservations and details.
(Santa Fe, N.M.) – Bill Fishbein, founder of Coffee Kids, has resigned from the board of directors. Declaring his confidence in the organization Fishbein has decided to offer his expertise to other non-profits and businesses looking to maximize the impact of their Corporate Social Responsibility dollars and pursue other opportunities to help coffee-farming families. Fishbein continues to be an ardent supporter of Coffee Kids and will continue to advocate for the organization and serve on the board of Coffee Kids UK charity.
Coffee Kids’ non-commercial approach to development has helped tens of thousands of coffee-farming families. But millions more are in dire need. “It became obvious to me that Coffee Kids was going to have to be around for a long time,” said Fishbein. “To do so, it had to become free from its dependency on me. The organization has been transitioning toward this day for several years, since Carolyn Fairman took over responsibility for day-to-day activities as executive director.”
“Coffee Kids is no longer dependent upon me,” added Fishbein.“The staff is led by an executive director whose heart and sensibilities are deeply rooted in programs. With a well-seasoned president and depth in grassroots program development, organizational development, finance, marketing and fundraising, the board is more capable than any other time in Coffee Kids history. I have no doubt Coffee Kids will follow the mission instead of the money.”
Rob Stephen, President of the Coffee Kids board of directors said, “As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Coffee Kids, we applaud Bill’s vision as the founder of this extraordinary organization. To truly honor his work over the last two decades and demonstrate respect for his decision to step away, we will hold fast to our mission, remain focused on meaningful programs, and continue to build infrastructure that increases our capacity to do good. The best way to say thank you to Bill and all those who have made our first 20 years possible is to ensure we are built to last well into the future.”
Fishbein’s vote of confidence comes as Coffee Kids prepares to formally mark its 20th Anniversary with a Dinner Celebration May 3, 2008 at the Minneapolis Convention Center during the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2008 Conference & Exhibition. For more information call 505-820-1143 or email .
Leckey was among the group of 17 from Java Republic that traveled to visit 
The story featured quotes from Coffee Kids Executive Director Carolyn Fairman and information on our partners AUGE in Veracruz, Mexico, and CECOCAFEN in Nicaragua, who are working in microlending. To learn more about these two groups, check out our program pages to read how our partners 
Representatives from Longbottom Coffee and Tea, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation, DaVinci Gourmet and Putumayo World Music made presentations on the importance of helping to ensure an improved quality of life for coffee-farming families. 
The 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner went well with almost 300 new and old supporters and members joining us to celebrate 20 years of Coffee Kids and Founder Bill Fishbein’s retirement. 
Mundaca, a self-taught guitarist and vocalist, has appeared on the Putumayo compilations “Women of the World Acoustic” and “Brazilian Lounge.” She was born in Chile and moved with her family to a small town south of Sao Paulo, Brazil, when she was six. At age 15 she began teaching herself to play guitar and has dedicated her life to music. For more information on Mundaca, 