Every morning, millions of people around the world start their day with a cup of coffee, but as global demand continues to surge, coffee producers and roasters face pressure to maintain supply while protecting the environment and farming communities. As a coffee company committed to the sustainability of the coffee industry, our team at One Village strives to understand and connect with the needs of coffee-growing communities across the globe, while also supporting environmental sustainability. Our partnership with 1% for the Planet reflects our commitment to investing in sustainable, responsibly grown coffee. 

What is 1% For The Planet?

1% for the Planet is a powerful and straightforward idea: As a business uses Earth’s resources to operate, it turns around and invests back in the Earth so the cycle can continue. 

The idea was conceived on a fishing trip when two longtime friends, Yvon and Craig, discussed the burden they felt about the role their businesses played in negative environmental impact. As a way to make sure that as their businesses took raw materials from the Earth, they could somehow offset their impact through the same businesses, they pledged to donate 1% of their annual revenue to environmental organizations.

Since 2002, Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies have led 1% for the Planet and along the way inspired thousands of other companies to join the effort. 1% for the Planet is a third-party certifier that ensures member businesses give a minimum of 1% of their annual revenue to vetted partner organizations. One Village Coffee joined their efforts in 2024. 

Pictured: CEO Kate Williams with Co-founders Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews Photo credit: Duft Watterson

Is 1% For The Planet a Success?

1% for the Planet has been a resounding success from its inception. To date, over 4,800 business members have given over $708 million to more than 7,000 environmental partners (1% For the Planet - you can see the full list of organizations they have partnered with here). Our team at One Village is proud to be a part of the movement, bringing real change to people and the planet. 

Who Are We Supporting?

Pictured: A graphic outlining what 1% For the Planet is and which organizations One Village Coffee connects with for their contributions

Our team, led by co-owner Laura Adams, worked diligently to pick our environmental partners. Laura wanted to work with organizations that protect the environment in innovative ways - recognizing that supporting the people in farming communities can lead to lasting environmental change. Here is the list of the partners we began supporting in 2024:

• Grounds for Health - Cervical cancer prevention services for coffee-farming women.  “They recognize the profound role that women’s health plays on climate adaptation and resilience” 
• Food 4 Farmers - “We help coffee-growing communities strengthen local food systems, promote sustainable farming practices, diversify family livelihoods, and cultivate local leadership.”
• The Chain Collaborative - A grassroots development organization that supports locally-led initiatives in coffee-growing communities. Areas of impact include transformative infrastructure, education, food sovereignty, alternative income, clean water, carbon & climate, and gender equity.
• World Coffee Research - “We drive research to dramatically improve coffee productivity, coffee quality, climate resilience, and farmer livelihoods.”
• Project Waterfall - “It’s our mission to unite the coffee industry and coffee consumers to give back to the communities growing our coffee by investing in sustainable clean water, sanitation and hygiene projects.”
• Regenerative Organic Alliance - This revolutionary certification represents the highest standards in agriculture, ensuring not just sustainable farming, but regenerative practices that actively restore our planet's health. One Village is proud to source ROC certified coffee whenever we can - we currently produce two ROA certified products, Colombia Light Roast & Legend Dark Roast. 

We feel that these organizations tackle the complex challenges facing our industry. Stay tuned for upcoming posts where we’ll dive deeper into these important partners and the work they’re doing. You can watch our evolving relationship with 1% For The Planet by viewing our page outlining it here!

One Village Coffee’s Commitment

We plan to continue to grow and build on these partnerships to ensure we are doing our part in the overall success of the coffee industry. One Village Coffee is committed to sustainability across all aspects of business - sourcing, production, packaging and distribution. Thank you for being a part of our village – because of coffee lovers like you we can continue this coffee roasting journey and support growers, communities, and the planet at the same time.

To help support our cause, any purchase made on our shop will contribute to our donations to our partnered organizations. You can also contribute directly to 1% For The Planet on their site here.

Sources:

1% for the Planet. Our Story: Business as Usual Is Failing People and the Planet. We’re on a Mission to Change That. www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.

Grounds for Health. Impact: Women’s Health and Climate Resilience. groundsforhealth.org.

Food 4 Farmers. What We Do: Challenges and Effects of Climate Change. food4farmers.org.

The Chain Collaborative. Community-Led Development Incubator. thechaincollaborative.org.

World Coffee Research. Programs. worldcoffeeresearch.org.

Project Waterfall. Coffee & Water: A Mission to Bring Clean Water to Coffee-Growing Communities. projectwaterfall.org.

Regenerative Organic Alliance. Becoming Licensed with the ROA. regenorganic.org.

One Village Coffee. "1% for the Planet." One Village Coffee, https://www.onevillagecoffee.com/pages/1-for-the-planet.