[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/WCR-logo-wide.png” max_width=”54%” max_width_tablet=”79%” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” module_alignment=”center” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
To many smaller or midsize companies, coffee can feel so vast and complex that it\u2019s almost impenetrable: How can a 1-bag or a 1-pallet roasting company make any impact at all compared to a 1- or 100-container operation? The fact is, there is power in numbers and the small are<\/em> mighty\u2014there are myriad ways to contribute to the global good of the coffeesphere, and even to be a support to coffee producers everywhere without even taking out your passport.<\/p>\n One of the things we at Cafe Imports Europe love the most about our jobs is that we work with roasters who are as diverse as our producing partners: We are as happy to buy one bag of coffee from a farmer as we are to buy 100 or more, and we\u2019re as happy to sell one bag to a roaster as we are to sell 100 or more. No matter the size or scale of your business, we want to help you make your mark and achieve your caffeine dreams (also maybe your decaf dreams\u2014we do sell some of that, too).<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Welcome to WCR check-off fund” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n In that same vein, we know that what seems like small change at first really adds up, and that every little bit helps. Which is why we\u2019re pleased to extend a way to contribute to coffee\u2019s future that costs literally a fraction of a cent, but which can cumulatively make an incredible world of difference: We welcome all of our roaster partners to participate in the World Coffee Research<\/a> check-off fund, through green-coffee purchases made with Cafe Imports Europe. <\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What is it?” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n The check-off fund is a voluntary program established by WCR in collaboration with participating importing companies: Any interested customer can decide to have one Euro cent, penny Sterling, or USD cent (\u20ac0.01 \/ \u00a30.01 \/ $0.01) added to the price per kilo of any coffee purchased through Cafe Imports Europe. (Roasters can also choose another amount.) The total contribution per sale is calculated and included as a line item on a roaster\u2019s invoice; the funds are tracked and collected by Cafe Imports Europe and remit directly to WCR on a quarterly basis. Participation is completely optional and as easy as filling the form on the bottom of this page or contacting your sales representative.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea behind a checkoff program is not just our idea, it\u2019s actually a way that agricultural research is often funded for other commodities,\u201d says Hannah Neuschwander, WCR\u2019s communications director. \u201cIf you think of the \u2018Got Milk?\u2019 campaign, it was funded by a check-off fund by the dairy council.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”What does it fund?” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Why does World Coffee Research deserve your pennies?<\/strong> Good question: Thanks for asking! The organization was established in 2012, as a result of the realization by many in the coffee industry that there was a huge need for a global body of research, and that the coffee sector needed to develop strategies to respond to obstacles that are particularly affecting producers worldwide. WCR is a joint effort among researchers, coffee companies, and in many cases national and international institutions, with a mission to discover and disseminate meaningful and practical data about coffee production through intensive and intentional scientific research. WCR has proved itself to be an open and transparent resource for facts and figures, extensive variety classification and study, and a means for producers to access not simply intangible knowledge but also actual plant material and farm solutions that provide practical assistance in the field and in the moment.<\/p>\n Hanna says that about 10 percent of World Coffee Research\u2019s funding comes from the check-off fund, (though ideally that number would grow to be closer to 30\u201340 percent.) \u201cIt really funds all of our work\u2014an overwhelming amount of things. Everything we do is funded by the check-off program. Primarily it funds our efforts to create new knowledge and new technologies for coffee producers,\u201d she says. \u201cMostly we focus on genetics and agronomics: We ask the questions, \u2018How do we help farmers be more profitable, produce more coffee, produce higher-quality coffee to be more effective farmers?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Varieties research” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n