Moka Joe brings clean water to Peruvian coffee community

Bellingham Business Journal, Nov, 2009

Bellingham-based Moka Joe Coffee and its "Coffee for Clean Water" have raised $1,500 to install its first water purification system in a South American coffee community to be named later.

In May 2009, Trudy Scherting, owner of Moka Joe Coffee, partnered up with Atlas Coffee Importers and the Clean Water Foundation of Washington State to offer a coffee product that would support efforts to bring clean Water to countries all over the world.

"Two million children die each year from contaminated water in third-world countries, so we are very excited that this water filtration system will change the lives of an entire village," Scherting said.

Moka Joe's "Coffee for Clean Water" is able to donate money for the filtration system because Atlas Coffee Importers provides the coffee beans at cost and Moka Joe's employees volunteer their time to roast and package the coffee. That way, all profits made on the coffee can go right back to clean water efforts.

"There is a real synergy of people doing good here, and we want to continue doing good things with our coffee," she said.

Moka Joe will continue selling "Coffee for Clean Water" and contributing to the Clean Water Foundation of Washington State (www.cleanwaterfoundation.com) as long it can make a difference in poverty-stricken countries.

"We want to make a difference," she said, "and if you buy Moka Joe, then you are making a difference, too."

For more information about "Coffee for Clean Water," call (360) 714-1953 or visit www.shop.mokajoe.com.