TOMS is an extremely popular shoe brand, which stands by the motto: One-For-One. Every time anyone buys a pair of TOMS, another pair goes to a child in need. Now, the company plans to apply the same model to a different product - coffee.
According to the New York Times, Blake Mycoskie, the founder and CEO of TOMS, has announced plans to start selling bags of coffee beans that will fund one week of clean water for someone in need in a developing country. Mycoskie unveiled TOMS coffee, packed in blue-and-white bags mimicking TOMS shoe boxes, on Tuesday at SXSW.
When customers purchase a bag of coffee, Water-For-People, a nonprofit that works in the same countries where TOMS is getting its coffee, will help provide clean water. Countries that will receive water include Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Rwanda, and Malawi.
"Through my travels, I found that some of the greatest coffee comes from developing countries," Mycoskie said in a statement. "I learned that the largest ingredient in coffee is water, and that in many of the countries producing coffee, there are huge populations of people without access to safe water."
The new development will provide clean water for cooking and drinking as well as for sanitation to the more than two billion people around the globe. The company said it was inspired by a 2012 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study that said 1.8 billion people globally did not have access to safe drinking water.
"I think once people understand the impact they can make buying a cup or bag of coffee, it will create an even stronger connection to Toms than they might already have," Mycoskie said. "And that's what business is about."
Found in 2006, TOMS began its "One-For-One" by donating a pair of shoes to someone in need, for every pair of TOMS sold. The company applied the same model to eyewear and used its revenue from sales to donate eye glasses and pay for glaucoma surgeries for people in other countries. The New York Times reported that to date, TOMS has sold more the 10 million shoes and restored the eyesight of 200,000 people.
Money generated by its coffee business will go to several water projects, said Sebastian Fries, who oversees all TOMS' donation efforts. Water-for-People would "build tanks to collect rainwater or develop piping systems to get water from hard-to-reach places to the people who need it."
"There will also be sanitation and hygiene education, which is critical in developing countries to prevent the spread of disease," Fries said.
Toms will sell six varieties of coffee in 12-ounce bags; flavors include Guatemala Roast, Honduras Roast, Carpe Diem Espresso, Malawi Roast, Peru Roast, and Single-Origin Rwanda Coffee. The $12.99 bags are already available on the TOMS website. The coffee will also be sold at Whole Foods nationwide and at TOMS "cafes" around the world.
Will you buy TOMS coffees?