The Sustainable Coffee Company (TSCC) will launch a new product Coffee for a Cause to support OzHarvest and help feed more people in need. This initiative blends “exceptional” sustainable coffee with a mission to combat food insecurity, with a goal to sell one tonne of coffee per month, which will provide 4000 meals to those in need through OzHarvest.
Following its ongoing and successful ‘Coffee for Nature’ collaboration with Parks Victoria earlier this year, where proceeds fund habitat restoration for Victoria’s endangered wildlife, TSCC is now turning its focus to addressing food insecurity.
The Sustainable Coffee Company Director Brendan Condon says: “In the current economic environment and cost of living crisis, more people than ever are facing food insecurity. At TSCC, we have decided to leverage our resources to help and we are proud to support OzHarvest in their mission to ‘Nourish Our Country’. Every kilo of Coffee for a Cause helps fund meals for those in need.”
The program operates on a simple, yet impactful model: for every kilogram of coffee sold through TSCC’s online platform to home coffee users, $4 is donated to OzHarvest, which enables eight meals to be delivered to people in need of food relief. For larger coffee partners such as offices, cafes and hospitality venues, TSCC will donate $2 per kilo, supporting the distribution of four meals.
“For a large cafe using 100 kilograms of coffee per week, their partnership with Coffee for a Cause could financially support OzHarvest to distribute 400 meals per week to people in need. It’s a powerful way to make a real difference,” Mr Condon said.
Melbourne, known for its world-renowned progressive coffee culture, consumes 30 tonnes of coffee per day. “If just 10% of those coffee purchases were made through Coffee for a Cause, we could support OzHarvest in distributing 12,000 meals per day. This would be a significant achievement, scalable and replicable across Australia. Coffee for a Cause combines Melbourne’s world-renowned love of coffee with real impact for vulnerable people.”
OzHarvest Victoria Engagement Manager Alana Roberts says the need for food relief continues at an all-time high, with charities struggling to cope with the ongoing demand.
“Our latest Community Needs Survey revealed 75% of charities reported an increase in demand for food, with 30% of people seeking help for the first time. Despite their best efforts, at least 30,000 Australians are going without food each month and many more do not ask for help. Housing affordability and grocery prices are the clear drivers of food insecurity, with families and the homeless being the biggest cohorts supported right now.”
The coffee supplied in Coffee for a Cause is a “very high-quality” specialty coffee that cups at more than 85 points, ensuring that people who support the program are also purchasing some of the highest quality specialty coffee available in the Australian market. The beans are sourced from Brazil’s Bom Jesus Coffee Farm, renowned for its sustainable practices. Ranked as Brazil’s most sustainable coffee farm in 2023, Bom Jesus ensures that each bean is cultivated with the utmost care for both quality and environmental stewardship.
“Our Coffee for a Cause builds on a long-term relationship with OzHarvest. For the past five years, we’ve been growing food in our pop-up carpark farm and supplying it to OzHarvest. This farm, powered by composted coffee chaff, coffee grounds from our roastery and food scraps from our kitchen, has provided hundreds of kilograms of fresh food to OzHarvest over the past five years and showcases our commitment to sustainability,” Mr Condon said.
“The Sustainable Coffee Company not only helps us provide more meals to people in need but also raises awareness about the importance of sustainability in the coffee industry. Every cup of coffee purchased will directly support our mission to ‘Nourish our Country’,” Ms Roberts said.
“Our coffee is not only exceptional but also competitively priced. We want our partners and customers to enjoy great coffee while supporting a cause they care about. This program allows coffee lovers the satisfaction of knowing that every coffee they enjoy in their home, workplace or local cafe is making a real contribution to providing food assistance to people who need it,” Mr Condon said.
