24/02/2006
Coffee sales support Tsunami orphans in SUMATRA
A year on from the catastrophic Boxing Day tsunami, local beach café and shop operator, The Venus Company has raised over £2,203 on behalf of its customers for “The Children of Sumatra” Fund. The Venus Cafes at Blackpool Sands, near Dartmouth, East Portlemouth, Bigbury on Sea and Tolcarne in Newquay have sourced organic Fair Trade coffee from an organic, single estate in the mountains of Aceh in Sumatra for 4 years.
“When we heard of the terrible news that dreadful day at Xmas in 2004, we very much wanted to do something practical to help raise funds and long term support for the orphans directly affected.” explained Michael Smith, managing director. “So we decided to commit to raise £10,000 over five years by providing our customers with the opportunity to pay an extra 5p per cup of filter coffee. The response has been great with over 44,000 cups of Fair Trade Sumatran filter coffee sold in the last year”.
The Children of Sumatra started out four years ago with the aim of helping children with cleft lip and palate in Sumatra. When the tsunami struck, everything changed with the organisation suddenly trying to help cope with the major disaster. The task is not just to clear the beaches and re-house people. The children who were orphaned will need care and finance for years to come as their whole lives have to be rebuilt.
Colin Smith of Smiths Coffee Company that supply the Venus Cafes with Sumatra Organic coffee from Aceh said “We too are working with the Children of Sumatra Charity and are delighted that Venus has joined forces with us in response to the tsunami appeal in making a real difference for the orphaned children of Aceh.”
For further information please contact: Su Beswick on 07968 905373 or visit www.venuscompany.co.uk and www.childrenofsumatra.org
Notes:
In April 2005, the Venus Company was honoured with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, providing the best al fresco Mediterranean style dining experience in a UK beach setting whilst integrating environmental and social care into every business decision.
Smiths Coffee Company, the UK’s top specialist coffee company supplies the Venus Company through its sister company, the Natural Coffee Company that specialises in ethical coffee- organic, fair-trade, rainforest alliance etc. Colin Smith is the President of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe.
“When we heard of the terrible news that dreadful day at Xmas in 2004, we very much wanted to do something practical to help raise funds and long term support for the orphans directly affected.” explained Michael Smith, managing director. “So we decided to commit to raise £10,000 over five years by providing our customers with the opportunity to pay an extra 5p per cup of filter coffee. The response has been great with over 44,000 cups of Fair Trade Sumatran filter coffee sold in the last year”.
The Children of Sumatra started out four years ago with the aim of helping children with cleft lip and palate in Sumatra. When the tsunami struck, everything changed with the organisation suddenly trying to help cope with the major disaster. The task is not just to clear the beaches and re-house people. The children who were orphaned will need care and finance for years to come as their whole lives have to be rebuilt.
Colin Smith of Smiths Coffee Company that supply the Venus Cafes with Sumatra Organic coffee from Aceh said “We too are working with the Children of Sumatra Charity and are delighted that Venus has joined forces with us in response to the tsunami appeal in making a real difference for the orphaned children of Aceh.”
For further information please contact: Su Beswick on 07968 905373 or visit www.venuscompany.co.uk and www.childrenofsumatra.org
Notes:
In April 2005, the Venus Company was honoured with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development, providing the best al fresco Mediterranean style dining experience in a UK beach setting whilst integrating environmental and social care into every business decision.
Smiths Coffee Company, the UK’s top specialist coffee company supplies the Venus Company through its sister company, the Natural Coffee Company that specialises in ethical coffee- organic, fair-trade, rainforest alliance etc. Colin Smith is the President of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe.