Despite being known as a nation of tea drinkers, coffee has become a big part of British culture over the past couple of decades. Each year all across the UK coffee businesses and fans unite to celebrate our coffee culture and raise much needed funds for Project Waterfall. This year UK Coffee Week runs from 29th April until 5th May, so it’s not too late to get involved in some of the action.
What is it?
UK Coffee Week is an initiative started by Allegra to raise money for Project Waterfall by promoting fundraising activities all around the country. As well as raising funds this also aims to spread awareness to end users about where their coffee comes from, and some of the environmental issues faced by the communities that grow the beans we love so much. While coffee has become hugely popular all over the UK, surprisingly few customers are aware of where their coffee comes from, so this gives everybody a great chance both to learn and to help give something back.
Where does the money go?
Almost all the commercially grown coffee in the world comes from the tropical areas close to the equator, which also happen to be the areas of the world where clean drinking water is most scarce. That’s why Project Waterfall has made it their mission to help coffee growing communities around the world gain access to clean, safe drinking water to take that first step towards breaking the poverty cycle.
As most of the world’s coffee is grown in third world countries, sanitation can be a huge issue. Untreated water is often contaminated with a range of fatal diseases, such as E. coli and cholera, with 1 in 5 deaths under the age of 5 being caused by water-related illnesses. Access to water not only improves the physical health of the community, but it also means better access to education, as the women and children will often have to spend up to 8 hours a day collecting water for their families. This helps to strengthen the whole community as they can invest more time in activities such as growing healthy food, getting an education or starting a small business.
Thanks to the sponsors that support UK Coffee Week, every single penny raised goes straight to Project Waterfall.
How to get involved
UK Coffee Week may already be under way, but it isn’t too late to get involved. Coffee businesses can run fundraising activities in stores, and coffee lovers can donate money or help to spread the word on social media using the hashtag #MyCupMatters. Anyone can donate the price of a cup of coffee (£3) to Project Waterfall by texting ‘COFFEE’ to 70331.
If you don’t have time to get involved at short notice you can always start planning for next year. There’s a whole range of things you can do to get involved, from donating 5p per coffee sold to hosting coffee making classes or cupping sessions. You can read some more recommendations on fundraising ideas here.
If you’re looking to up your coffee game ready for next year, WMF have a wide range of coffee machines to suit any business. From compact bean-to-cup machines such as the WMF 1100 S to the classic stylings of the WMF Espresso, you’re bound to find something to fit your needs.
Download a brochure to see the full range of products.
