Luxury Real Estate

Jim Walburg of Caribbean Islands Realty

So, we were in Colorado last week attending several real estate conferences. The last one was the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Vail as one of their conference presenters regarding our internet marketing strategies for our customers. After the conferences we visited our friends who provided us a little R&R at their home for two days. During our visit we learned that Jay and Carol helped start the only premier coffee roasting company committed to roasting only 100% Fair Trade Certified and Organic Certified coffee beans. BuyWell Coffee was founded with a BIG dream – combating poverty and protecting the environment through coffee purchases. Did you know that the second highest volume commodity traded in the world, after oil, is coffee? Well, believe it! And, the vast majority of coffee growing families are living on less than $2.00 per day!

After many hours of conversation with Jay, it was an eye opener as to what the impact is that growing coffee is having on the world’s environment. The carbon footprint of this industry is HUGE! BuyWell Coffee is constantly looking for ways to become more sustainable and making their daily carbon footprint much smaller. And, they are doing this while still producing the best coffee I have ever tasted. Plus, it is actually very affordable!

Are you ready for some very sobering statistics about the coffee industry? The U.S. consumes one-fifth of the world’s coffee! But few Americans realize that the worker-families in the coffee industry work in conditions that can be described as “sweatshops in the fields.” Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt for their entire lives.

Fair Trade Certified is now the solution to assure consumers that the coffee we drink is purchased under fair working conditions. To become Fair Trade Certified, BuyWell Coffee must meet strict international standards; paying a minimum price per pound of at least $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming. Fair Trade for coffee farmer’s means community development, health, education, and being good stewards of the environmental.

I had no idea what Fair Trade Certified and Organic Certified labels really meant. It means that farmers and workers receive a fair price for their product. The FTC price means that farmers can finally provide for their families and that their children can go to school instead of working in the fields. By receiving a fair price, Fair Trade Certified producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The FTC producers’ traditional farming methods result in exceptional products. And, it means you are receiving the highest quality product that is able to be produced! So, purchasing one of BuyWell Coffee’s ten+ coffee blends contributes to the well-being of farming families around the world. (Wouldn’t be interesting if all of our companies were doing the same to make a difference in the world?)

Remember the real mission of Jay’s company that I wrote about earlier – combating poverty and protecting the environment through coffee. A portion of very bag of coffee that BuyWell Coffee sells supports a group called Roots & Wings. They are committed to providing a college education for indigenous youth from families in rural Guatemala. Roots & Wings International scholars come from coffee-growing communities. They are the FIRST in their families to study beyond elementary school. The scholarships are awarded based on financial need, academic abilities, and commitment to give back to community development projects where the students live.

All of BuyWell Coffee’s giving programs are coffee-powered. BuyWell invests in sustainable development initiatives in coffee growing regions of the world, and in the U.S. to create long-term health and global opportunity for the coffee grower families of the world. Now, if this coffee really tastes as good as I say it does, wouldn’t it be a good idea try some? If you don’t like it, then go back to your favorite blend. But, if you love it, all of your purchases will assist with making this world a better place.