Better Coffee, Better Price, Better World
May, 2003 - TORONTO - Ever wonder why most people put milk and sugar
into their coffee? The Merchants of Green Coffee have one word for you - stale. The
coffee you just had, or your colleague just finished, has been stale for weeks, if not
months. The Merchants of Green Coffee quietly point out that coffee that has been
freshly roasted, freshly ground, and freshly brewed will always be better than coffee
that has been roasted, ground, and canned two months ago. In much the same way that
wine turns to vinegar, roasted and ground coffee turns bitter and old.
Derek and Brad Zavislake set about opening up Merchants of Green Coffee to solve this
simple problem - bring the public a home roasting machine, and green coffee, and let
them experience the taste of a truly fresh cup of coffee. However, what they quickly
learned is that coffee is just as destructive to the nations that produce it, as it is
to the taste buds that deal with stale coffee. Coffee production is the equivalent of
an environmental weapon of mass destruction, through deforestation, water pollution
and poor farming conditions. So, the brothers set up a business model to solve both
problems.
And they did, introducing the Sustainable Coffee Program.
By sourcing directly from farming communes who only sell organic coffees (coffee that
is fairly traded - providing a living wage to farmers, shade grown, and does not
destroy the environment through mechanized drying), the Merchants of Green Coffee have
been able to both reward the coffee producers and reduce the destructive property of
coffee. And, what's more, it tastes better.
"It's like properly grown grapes for wines - they pick up the individual tastes of the
soil they are grown in. If the soil is vapid and stripped of its nutrients, the grape
will be vapid in taste. It's exactly the same thing with coffee beans, regardless of
inherent quality." Brad continues by pointing out that, by purchasing directly from
farmers, they ensure the continued cultivation and sales of good quality beans - beans
that will not have their taste leached from them.
"We offer our customers the best coffee beans - Arabica beans - and we can practically
name the people who helped put the coffee on their table. By shortening the sales
cycle, we've ensured quality of beans. Quantity is the hard part - keeping up with
our customer's demands for more is the hardest part of our job!" And, chances are,
the one they enjoy the most.
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