California's Rogers Family Co. Uses Earthworm Power To Improve Organic Coffee Production, Build Communities and Protect Nature in Central America and Africa
LINCOLN, CALIF — The Rogers Family Company – a California-based, international roaster of “Fairly Traded” gourmet coffee - is deploying a ‘green’ army of billions of red earthworms to create nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer to help small coffee farmers and promote organic coffee production in Central America and Africa.
The earthworms – which digest and transform coffee waste into organic fertilizer - are part of the Lincoln, California company’s goal to encourage organic coffee production and help workers, their families and protect nature in Central America, Mexico, Sumatra, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda.
In Boquete, Panama, the earthworms are part of an effort that has restored a river, drinking water supply and economy. Birds, native fish, frogs, reptiles and aquatic mammals are again flourishing in the Caldera River ecosystem. The fertilizer process utilizes the prodigious digestive talents of the common California red wriggly worm (Eisenia foetida). Courtesy Photo: Today, on this once wasted land, a truly shade-grown, organic coffee farm has emerged.
“The goal was to improve the system and treat, transform and recycle some 5,000 tons of coffee pulp contaminating the Caldera River into a nutrient-rich fertilizer to give as an incentive to small coffee holders and promote organic coffee production,” said Dr. Mario Serracin, Ph.D, the Rogers Family Co.’s agronomist. The RFC uses the worms – that digest mounds of coffee pulp (waste from wet mill coffee production) to brew environmental stewardship as well as more flavorful coffee on two continents.
In 2009, the company transplanted its innovative earthworm project in collaboration with some of its partners in Rwanda. At Karengera Coffee, the RFC uses native Rwandese worms and California reds in Butare with the USAID coffee research project. “We wanted to demonstrate the benefits of organic coffee production to encourage other local farms to adopt organic methods and reduce their reliance on pesticides that interfere with food chains and the environment,” said Pete Rogers, the company’s green coffee buyer. The worms’ castings (waste) are used to create a spray - “wormtea” - for germination and transplantation of coffee seedlings. These “worm farms” also are used in simple inexpensive Biogas systems that turn waste water into clear water for irrigation and gas to fuel dryers. For complete release and photos, please click
http://www.rogersfamilyco.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=
185&Itemid=104
The company’s environmental initiatives include:
launching a 100-year tree planting program.
becoming “carbon negative.”
purchasing thousands of acres in Mexico and Central America to create organic farms and restore land to their natural rainforest state.
commissioning a study to ensure birds and wildlife – including “globally threatened” species - can thrive on its farms.
The company’s Community Aid program turns its Fairly Traded and Direct Trade coffee into houses, medical facilities, nutrition programs and schools for workers and their families. Its brands include the Organic Coffee Company and San Francisco Bay Premium Gourmet Coffee.
Try the coffee yourself! https://www.gourmet-coffee.com/organic-private-reserve-finca-santa-barbara.html?&cat=74
Rogers Family Company Offers Free Shipping of Its "Fairly Traded" Coffee to Troops
The Lincoln, Calif.- based Rogers Family Company www.rogersfamilyco.com – a family-owned, nationwide roaster of gourmet coffee - announced it will permanently offer free shipping to troops for online orders of its "Fairly Traded" coffee from families and friends of U.S. military service members. In June, the Rogers Family Company began a trial "Summer of Free Shipping to Support Our Troops" program in which it paid the freight to any overseas base. The Rogers Family Company (RFC) – which roasts Fairly Traded branded gourmet coffee and tea sold throughout the U.S. and abroad - will offer on a permanent basis free priority-mail shipping for anyone who sends coffee, tea and other gifts to service members with an APO/FPO (military post office) address.
Part of the Rogers Family Co.’s ongoing support for U.S. troops, this program also applies to service members’ own coffee or tea orders. The free shipping offer, including coffee gift packages or mugs for birthdays or other special days, applies to any package or item ordered from the Rogers Family Gourmet Coffee & Tea Market www.gourmet-coffee.com or www.rogersfamilyco.com.
The Rogers Family Company this year is again teaming up with Operation Gratitude - a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that sends care packages to military personnel in hostile zones throughout the world. Rogers Family Coffee Company has been a longtime partner with Operation Gratitude. As in the past five years, the RFC will participate in Operation Gratitude’s Holiday Drive and also supported its partnership with "The American Veterans Traveling Tribute" which included a replica (80% scale) of the Vietnam Memorial Wall and "Cost of Freedom" display. www.opgratitude.com During last year’s holiday season, the Rogers Family Company launched a "Letters to Our Troops" contest in which heart-felt letters of thanks were enclosed with care packages to troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. "The Rogers Family Company is committed to recognizing the sacrifices of our service members throughout the world," said Rogers Family Company President Jon B. Rogers. "The free shipping program underscores our appreciation for the hardships the troops endure every day."
In the spring, the Rogers Family Company donated 45,000 coffee packets to Operation Gratitude’s Patriotic Drive for service members. In total, the company has shipped approximately 300,000 bags (some 600,000 pounds) of coffee to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and on ships at sea since 2005 when it launched its association with Operation Gratitude. The "Support Our Troops" program is among various social and environmental projects of the Rogers Family Company which is celebrating 30 years of doing business and making a difference in California and in communities thousands of miles away. For example, earlier this year the company launched a ‘100-year tree planting program’ to fight global warming and other programs have already made it ‘carbon-negative.’ Under the program, the company will plant a native tree at one of its organic coffee farms on behalf of customers who join its online coffee clubs. The family-owned company also produces a premium shade-grown coffee line under license from the National Audubon Society and certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
In cooperation with farmers and help from partners and customers, the company’s "Community Aid" program has completed hundreds of social and environmental projects. A few sample projects include building dozens of schools, hundreds of modern houses as well as medical facilities, schools and day care centers for thousands of workers. The Rogers Family Company was founded in 1979 by Princeton University graduate and ex-Revlon executive Jon B. Rogers and his wife Barbara Rogers. The company is one of the nation’s leading importers and roasters of "Fairly Traded" branded gourmet coffee and tea. All four of their adult children play a key role in the company that supplies its "Responsibly Grown/Fairly Traded" coffee and tea to customers worldwide. The company’s divisions and brands include the Organic Coffee Company, San Francisco Bay Premium Gourmet Coffee, Pleasant Hill Farms, Café Jerusalem, Audubon Shade-Grown Coffee, East India Coffee & Tea, the Organic Tea Co. and Black Mountain Gold.
It also sponsors coffee clubs: Java Perks on the Rogers Gourmet Coffee & Tea Market www.gourmet-coffee.com or Audubon Premium Shade-Grown Coffee online stores. www.auduboncoffeeclub.com With 150 employees, the company makes approximately 3,500 individual coffee and tea products. The company’s headquarters and roasting plant is in Lincoln, California. The RFC’s regional sales office is in San Leandro, California where it was headquartered for many years.
THE ROGERS FAMILY COMPANY OFFERS FREE MONTHLY PUBLIC TOURS OF ITS GOURMET COFFEE ROASTING PLANT IN LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA
LINCOLN, CALIF. (January 25, 2010) – Explore the life of coffee – how it’s grown, where it comes from, how it gets to your cup and how your coffee choice affects people and nature in communities thousands of miles away - with The Rogers Family Company www.rogersfamilyco.com which will give free public tours of its state-of-the-art gourmet coffee roasting plant in Lincoln on the last Friday of each month. Tours of the 220,000-square-foot roaster at the company’s headquarters at 1731 Aviation Boulevard – where the company this year will roast and package some 35 to 40 million pounds of “Fairly Traded” gourmet coffee – will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The tour program begins January 29.
To sign up for the tour – which includes a ‘cupping’ (tasting) exhibition, overview of the company history, its unique “Community Aid” program and a Q & A session if needed - please call 1-800-829-1300 or 916/258-8000. Food and drink are not allowed in the facility and long pants, sleeves and sturdy closed-toe shoes are required. On the tour, all guests must wear a hair net and bearded men must wear a beard net. The tour will be led by green coffee buyer Pete Rogers – who spends three to four months each year visiting the company’s partner coffee farms in countries ranging from Mexico to Rwanda – and/or other production managers. There will be coffee samples.
Company officials will explain the roasting/packaging process, whether you should take your coffee ‘black’ or ‘green’ and how Community Aid – with help from customers and partners – has completed hundreds of social and environmental projects to raise the quality of life for thousands of coffee farmers, workers and their families. Community Aid projects include building modern housing, medical clinics, schools and day care centers, providing doctors, nurses, teachers, food and clothing, clean drinking water and ‘green’ energy systems while protecting or restoring native plants, rainforest and wildlife including threatened species in the world’s premier coffee growing regions.
ABOUT THE ROGERS FAMILY CO: Headquartered in Lincoln, California, the Rogers Family Company supplies its “Fairly Traded” gourmet coffee and tea to discriminating customers worldwide. The company was founded in 1979 by Jon B. Rogers and his wife Barbara Rogers. One of the nation’s few remaining family-owned and operated gourmet coffee roasters, the company has approximately 135 employees who make some 3,500 individual whole bean and ground coffee and tea products. All four of Jon B. Rogers’ and Barbara Rogers’ adult children – Jim Rogers, Lisa Smoot, John W. Rogers and Pete Rogers along with his wife Kirsten Rogers – play a key role in the company’s daily operations. The company’s divisions and brands include San Francisco Bay Premium Gourmet Coffee, The Organic Coffee Co., Fairwinds Gourmet Coffee, Pleasant Hill Farms, Café Jerusalem Kosher Coffee, AUDUBON Coffee, Black Mountain Gold, East India Coffee & Tea Co. and the Organic Tea Co.
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