Aid by the Cupful

The hurricane dealt a devastating blow to the economic lifeblood of the affected areas, which rely mostly on agriculture exports, including coffee. Mud slides destroyed coffee farms; wind and rain uprooted trees, knocking away ripe coffee beans; and the network of roads in the region was destroyed.

Seeing his suppliers dramatically impacted by Hurricane Stan and worried that the need caused by Stan would be overshadowed by Katrina, David Griswold, president and founder of Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, provider of organic and fair-trade coffee to the North American specialty-coffee market, created the Coffee Relief Fund. Griswold contacted colleagues from his U.S. vendors — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Newman’s Own Organics and Whole Foods Markets, among others — and asked them to donate funds to help Central American coffee farmers get back on their feet.