White Coffee Cares

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is well known in the coffee industry, where companies’ commitment to sustainable and ethical sourcing has become a key selling point over recent years. The family-owned US roasters White Coffee have taken their commitment to CSR a step further than most, with the introduction of their formal philanthropic program, White Coffee Cares (WCC).
  Founded in 1939, Long Island-based White Coffee has long been committed to giving back to its community.
  “Since the end of the Great Depression, our family business has helped support local kitchens and other charities through difficult times, and we have remained mindful of the need to serve others,” says Jonathan White, Executive Vice President of White Coffee Corporation. “As a business owner, I am gratified that our family will carry forward these values through White Coffee Cares.”
  ‘Saving the world, one cup at a time,’ is the maxim White Coffee Cares follows in giving back locally and in supporting charities here and abroad. Through White Coffee Cares, the company expects to engage new organisations to collaborate with on humanitarian projects and offers the resources of coffee service, volunteers, cross-branding opportunities and other contributions consistent with their vision.
  “What makes the introduction of this program so special is that we are now formalising the way in which we donate and participate in various opportunities,” White says. “White Coffee has always given back and provided assistance in forms of product, monetary donations and volunteer service.  WCC allows us the opportunity to create measurable outcomes, which will allow us to continue to do this work, hopefully on a grander scale as the program progresses.”
  Of course, this philanthropic practice is not new to the specialty roaster, whose coffee is used in five million cups of coffee weekly, and is served in world-famous restaurants and hotels.
  “In our efforts to support the global community, we have sourced the superb coffee found in our Organic Honduras Breakfast Blend package from coffee cooperatives affiliated with Fundacion Amigos del Café (Friends of Coffee Foundation) based in Honduras,” White says. “White Coffee provides monetary assistance to the Foundation to support their many initiatives. The Foundation’s vision statement is simple yet poignant: ‘We believe that all human beings have the right to a decent quality of life.  Our vision is to improve the standard of living for coffee farming families living in Honduras.’ Their core values include: food security, good environmental practices, education, health, economic development and social integration.”
  Still a family-owned company after more than 75 years in business, White Coffee is also certified with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) due to the fact that Carole White has been the company’s president since 1992.
  The WBENC aims to foster diversity in the world of commerce, due to their conviction that this promotes innovation, opens new channels of revenue and creates partnerships, which provide opportunities that fuel the economy.
  While this is not a part of the White Coffee Cares program, it is just another way the business is focused on the positive development of the world around it.
  “We have been in business since 1939 and have been quite successful in the specialty coffee industry,” says Jonathan White. “It only makes sense, as global citizens, to give back to both our global and local communities.”
  With White Coffee Cares, White says the groundwork has now been laid for more of that work to take place.
  “We plan to make a larger footprint with our philanthropic efforts in 2017,” he says. “We will continue with the efforts mentioned above, but also hope to coordinate with such local non-profits as City Harvest, Food Bank of New York and God’s Love We Deliver, to name a few.” GCR