Stone Creek has always been committed to socially responsible and fair trade values, particularly when it comes to purchasing the wholesale green coffee we roast, brew and sell. In a global economic business with as much impact as the coffee industry, we know that offering fair prices and community sustaining incentives to coffee growers, farmers and workers is not only the right the thing to do, but the smart thing to do for all of us.

In fact, we believe so strongly in these values that we decided to bump it up a notch just recently by signing a five year contract with Sinay Neves Enterprises, a coffee importing company with close ties to the nonprofit organization Socially Conscious Coffee (SCC). This fairly traded coffee is grown on a farm owned and managed by Sinay Neves in the state of Bahia in Brazil, and we are pleased to announce that a massive shipment arrived at our factory this past Monday, quite serendipitously on Fair Trade Day Milwaukee. (Wow, that's a little freaky, but in a good way, right?) And when we say massive, we mean it--320 bags, which equals 48,000 pounds of green Brazilian coffee right here in the Stone Creek Factory! That's a lot o' coffee, people.

The really big news, of course, is that through this contracted partnership we can increase our dedication to responsible business practices by supporting the incredible work of SCC at their school, Centro Rural Educafé, in Encruzilhada, Bahia, Brazil. The school provides K-5 elementary education, meals, uniforms, transportation, books, supplies, and preventative pediatric healthcare. Educafé also offers adult night classes to the region's coffee harvesters and family members, and provides both medical and dental care to these same families.

So the next time you buy some amazing Stone Creek coffee, take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back and say, "Good job, kid." You deserve it--after all, every purchase you make does amazing good.