User:Jocelyn St James/Growers First

Growers First

Growers First is a non-profit created to eradicate the social and economic injustices in the coffee industry. Growers First goes into communities in third world countries and works directly with the farmers to utilize sustainable growing practices and to help them achieve greater prosperity, health and overall quality of life. Since its inception in 2000, Growers First has entered four counties; Mexico, Honduras, Rwanda and Indonesia. Upon entering a community, Growers First enables the farmers to work towards several initiatives that include but are not limited to, economic sustainability, social enterprise and equity, environment, and health and wellness.

In order to sell their coffee at a premium that is beneficial to the farmers, Growers First enacts traceable transformation. Through farmers blogs and smart phone tags, buyers of the coffee can see exactly where the money they are spending is going and can therefore cultivate a relationship with their farmer and watch as they become economically sufficient and environmentally sustainable.

Recently, Growers First has been growing their presence on college campuses. They first partnered with a group of students from Wheaton College (Illinois) who have spent the 2010-2011 generating awareness of the organization on campus. In spring of 2011, Growers First appeared on the campus of The George Washington University through a service learning class. There, they have worked with three different groups of students to try and transform the way people think about drinking coffee.