SUSTAINABILITY BY STONE CREEK COFFEE

• Socially Responsible Coffee. Stone Creek Coffee believes that sustainable farming practices facilitate not only a healthy environment but also a healthy community. In order for any raw, green coffee we source, roast and sell to be marked Socially Responsible Coffee, as defined by our own independent coffee certification system, it must first meet certain social, economic and environmental standards.
  
  
• Our Socially Responsible Guidelines include:
• Restrictions of agrochemicals to foster biological sustainability;
• Promotion of reforestation of native plants;
• Protection of indigenous animals.
  
  
• Stone Creek's Socially Responsible Guidelines also allow for various models of fairness and justice, having been based on the work of multiple Alternative Trade Organizations (ATO's) that have established themselves as leaders in the definition and promotion of fair trade.
  
  
• Stone Creek relies on FLO (Fair Trade Labeling Organization) as our benchmark for minimum prices paid to farmers.
  
  
• As a Certified Fair Trade licensed roaster, Stone Creek Coffee is dedicated to establishing and maintaining farmer direct relationships. Since December of 2005, we have purchased Brazilian green coffee from Sinay Neves Enterprises, a coffee importing company with close ties to the nonprofit organization Socially Conscious Coffee (SCC). The coffee is grown on a farm owned and managed by Sinay Neves in the state of Bahia, near a small town called Encruzilhada. As a result of these purchases, Stone Creek has developed a close partnership with SCC in order to promote education, literacy, healthcare, and environmental stewardship in the region. For every pound of coffee that Stone Creek purchases, both Stone Creek and Sinay Neves Enterprises donate 5 cents over the actual cost of the coffee. That 10 cent combined donation is then used to fund the SCC School (called the Centro Rural Educafe in Portuguese) located in Encruzilhada. The school provides K-5 elementary education, meals, uniforms, transportation, books, supplies, and preventative pediatric healthcare. Educafe also offers adult night classes to the region's coffee harvesters and family members, and provides both medical and dental care to these same families. Stone Creek Coffee recently signed a five year contract with Sinay Neves Enterprises, resulting in a $21,120.00 donation to the SCC school.
  
  
• Reducing Our Environmental Impact. In addition to supporting sustainable practices in the field, Stone Creek Coffee is dedicated to reducing our environmental impact through traditional recycling programs, reusing materials and reducing our energy consumption.
  
  
• Stone Creek encourages customers to reuse our resealable half, one and five pound bags when they purchase more of our coffee by offering discounts of up to $1.00.
  
  
• In our retail stores, we have recently switched to Greenware Cold Drink Cups by Fabri-Kal, a line of naturally based and fully compostable cold drink cups and lids.
  
  
• Sustainable activities at the Stone Creek Coffee Factory include donating 100% of our roaster chaff to several area farmers and gardeners, providing them with a biodegradable mulch and soil conditioner, and recycling 100% of our paper and cardboard as well as a majority of our plastic and glass waste.
  
  
• In November of 2004, Stone Creek Coffee voluntarily installed an afterburner unit on our primary 60-kilo drum roaster, minimizing our roaster's release of smoke and air pollutants.
  
  
• We also regularly reclaim and restore architectural elements and furniture for use at our retail stores and the Stone Creek Factory, which was built in 1888 and is itself an example of reclaimed architecture.