The Sustainable Coffee Company (TSCC) is launching Coffee for a Cause – a new product which will support the food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, in feeding more people in need.
Following its ongoing Coffee for Nature collaboration with Parks Victoria which began in April, where proceeds fund habitat restoration for Victoria’s endangered wildlife, TSCC is now turning its focus to addressing food insecurity.
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.
The Sustainable Coffee Company director, Brendan Condon, said that 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,” said Condon.
“For a large café 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.”
The company has a goal of selling a tonne of coffee per month through this initiative, which would help provide around 4000 meals to those in need through OzHarvest.
Melbourne, known for its coffee culture, consumes 30 tonnes of coffee per day.
“If just 10 per cent of those coffee purchases were made through Coffee for a Cause, we could support OzHarvest in distributing 12,000 meals per day,” said Condon.
This partnership builds on a long-term relationship between OzHarvest and TSCC, which has been growing food in a pop-up carpark farm and supplying it to OzHarvest for five years.
“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 5 years and showcases our commitment to sustainability,” he said.
The coffee supplied in Coffee for a Cause is a specialty coffee, with beans 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.
OzHarvest Victoria engagement manager, Alana Roberts, said that the organisation’s latest Community Needs Survey revealed 75 per cent of charities reported an increase in demand for food, with 30 per cent 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,” said Roberts.
“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'.”
