"Minister of Coffee" Preaches the Good Beans Gospel

Jeff Ericson of Camano Island Coffee Roasters is changing lives one coffee farm at a time -
 and changing how his customers think of their morning cup

August 13, 2012. Camano Island, Wash.  Jeff Ericson has a theology degree and comes from a family of ministers. He fully expected to step into the family business after college. But the sermon he gives these days is about growing the very best coffee beans and educating customers about good coffee - and it's just as uplifting and inspiring as any words coming from a pulpit.

Ericson, owner of Camano Island Coffee Roasters in Washington State, says sourcing organic, fair trade beans from small farms is the best way he knows to not only differentiate his coffee from other roasters, but to also change lives for generations of poor families in coffee-growing regions. 

Maybe that's why his customers have taken to calling him the Minister of Coffee.

Ericson works with the non-profit group Agros International to help migrant workers become landowners and coffee growers. Together they train the workers - in some cases, entire villages - on how shade-grown, organic Arabica coffee crops for which he often pays more than fair trade prices.

In turn, he gets a reliable source of high-quality beans, which he sells to stores and Coffee Club members within 24 hours of roasting. And in turn, Agros helps the coffee growers become landowners within 7 to 10 years.

The Camano Island Coffee Roasters story is unique in the coffee business. Its mission based business model is based not on a hand-out, but a hand-up for those who grow the world's second largest commodity (next to oil). It's also a story of partnerships for change and how coffee drinkers can make a difference in the world through smart and sustainable food choices.

Jeff Ericson is available for interviews, and we can provide you with background materials on his work with small coffee farmers throughout Central America.

If you would like to talk with him, and hear this story in depth, please contact me.

Thank you.

Nan Devlin

Devlin Endean Marketing Group

nan@devlinendean.com

971 235-9785