Communities that grow coffee have been supported by a Cumbrian merchant. 

John Farrer & Co, of Kendal, donated ten per cent of its website sales during UK Coffee Week last month to an initiative led by Project Waterfall. It will help provide access to clean water for people living in Berbere, a remote area of Ethiopia, where 82 per cent of households have access to water only from unprotected sources.  

Project Waterfall aims to change lives by uniting the coffee industry and consumers to give back to coffee-growing communities by investing in sustainable clean water, sanitation and hygiene projects. 

Rob Baines, Farrer’s general manager, said: “Ethiopia has produced some dynamic coffees that have proved very popular with our customers, so it’s only fitting that the issues faced by people living in the region are addressed. Farrer’s is proud to support Project Waterfall through UK Coffee Week to help provide much needed funds so that the people of Berbere can have access to sustainable and protected supplies of clean water and sanitation facilities that will help to create environmental resilience, economic growth and far greater equality.’’  

Farrer’s was also in action at the inaugural World Coffee Innovation awards when it collected the runners-up place as a finalist in the speciality coffee roaster category behind Big Island Coffee Roasters, Hawaii. 

Rob added: “Obviously, we would have liked to have taken the top spot, but to lose out to one of the top international roasteries is credit to the hard work of every single member of the team. We all work incredibly hard to deliver quality coffee to every single one of our customers and recognition like this shows that what we’re doing is appreciated both by those customers but also by those in the industry.’’