Cafe Solar combines energy-efficiency, sustainability and feminism in a delicious brew of its first-of-its-kind coffee — fixed with hope and good politics stirred in.
With unique methods of producing coffee, Cafe Solar protects tropical rainforests with its progressive program and uses innovative renewable technology for their bean business.
“The Cafe Solar program is founded on the belief that the best coffee is one that benefits each and every hand it passes through,” says Cafe Solar’s official site, “Built on two decades of hard work, Cafe Solar strives to improve each link in the supply chain; starting with the way in which the coffee is grown and processed, and ending in how it is traded, roasted and consumed.”
This awesome brand of coffee takes their initiatives seriously and BizEnergy is excited to celebrate Cafe Solar in today’s edition of Success Stories!
Let’s talk about solar-dried coffee
Cafe Solar is the first coffee to be processed using 100 per cent clean, renewable energy. This means instead of chopping down trees and burning them to fuel the energy-intensive coffee-making process, Cafe Solar is using solar panels for their drying methods.
The company’s based in Honduras and the non-profit Mesoamerican Development Institute (MDI) engineered the off-grid technology.
Solar-dried coffee allows the sun to be absorbed by solar panels and with that clean, renewable energy, it fuels a super efficient dryer in efforts to dry the beans properly.
Unlike the traditional sun-dried method of coffee beans, solar-dried coffee can take on commercial sized batches of beans and ensure high quality coffee (produced in large quantities efficiently).
“In it’s most basic sense, solar-dried coffee is defined as coffee that is processed using solar technology,” explains the website, “But it’s also the cleanest, most sustainable, most efficient and most consistent way to dry commercial-sized batches of coffee.”
Having a hankering to perk up with a cup of sustainable coffee yet?
Cafe Solar is environmentally considerate as well as socially constructive
This Honduran coffee is delicious, sustainable and socially constructive as it promotes gender equality by having a group of women stand as empowered figures in the cooperative farms the beans come from.
“Certified fair trade, Cafe Solar is also improving the livelihoods of the local Hondurans by providing job security and new employment opportunities,” says Merchants of Green Coffee (Toronto), “The off-grid processing centre provides skilled training in construction, operations and maintenance, and it employs local youth.”
This awesome coffee program for Cafe Solar has been two decades in the making.
Cafe Solar’s success is not only measured in sales, it’s proven in sustainability efforts, social progression and delicious flavours.
Image credit: Jaci XIIII
