Skip to main content

Is Your #Coffee Wildlife-Friendly? #WATWB

By 29/09/2017September 30th, 2017Blog Fest, We are the World
coffee

We are the World BlogfestWe are the World Blogfest is here with its seventh edition.

To spread peace and humanity on social media, a few of us have worked together to create the We are the World Blogfest. In a world where news and social media are awash with negativity, we aim to turn the focus on to small but significant stories that renew our faith in humanity.

The co-hosts for the August 2017 WATWB are: Michelle Wallace , Shilpa GargAndrea MichaelsPeter NenaEmerald Barnes

Please go and visit them– they’ve been doing a wonderful job of cohosting the #WATWB behind the scenes.


Would you try wildlife-friendly coffee ?

In the spirit of “In Darkness, Be Light,” I’d like to share the story of Avinash Sosale and Dr. Krithi Karanth, the Indian husband and wife team who have founded Wild Kaapi, a unique endeavour to make wildlife-friendly coffee. Dr. Karanth has decades of wildlife study and conservation experience behind her, and Sosale is an entrepreneur and coffee lover. In India, where wildlife cover and biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate, the world’s first ‘certified wildlife-friendly’ coffee brand is a heartening initiative.

“Wild Kaapi started as an offshoot of a three-year research project (part of a grant by the National Science Foundation to study coffee, areca and rubber plantations in the Western Ghats). Karanth, of the Centre for Wildlife Studies — with Paul Robbins of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr Ashwini Chhatre of University of Illinois — measured biodiversity, and studied labour practices and market dynamics of the farming areas.

During the project, she interacted with over 1,000 planters in the three coffee growing areas of Karnataka — Kodagu, Chikmagalur, and Hassan — and realised how frustrated they were “because they weren’t getting value for their coffee due to the middlemen involved”. That’s when the idea for Wild Kaapi originated, and the duo is now exploring new ways to get a premium price for products that support wildlife.”

coffee

Since they ship internationally, and maintain excellent quality standards, I’m planning an order soon. I shall let the coffee-lover in the family try it out, and do my best to support this fledgling company that has such a laudable mission statement:

‘The idea behind setting up Wild Kaapi was to find a way to keep them wildlife friendly, reduce deforestation, minimize the usage of chemical inputs, implement good labour practices and at the same incentivize the process for the farmers.’

If you found this piece of news heartening, and would like to take part in this blogfest, sign up in the WE ARE THE WORLD Blogfest Linky List below and please help spread the word on social media via the hashtag #WATWB.

~~~GUIDELINES~~~

  1. Keep your post to below 500 words.
  2. All we ask is you link to a human news story on your blog on the last Friday of each month, one that shows love and humanity.
  3. Join us in sharing news that warms the cockles of our heart. No story is too big or small, as long as it goes beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.
  4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD BLOGFEST Badge on your sidebar, and help us spread the word on social media. Tweets, Facebook shares, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. More We Are the World Blogfest signups mean more friends, love and light for all of us.
  5. We’ll read and comment on each others’ posts, get to know each other better, and hopefully, make or renew some friendships with everyone who signs on as participants in the coming months.
  6. Add your post HERE so we can all find it quickly.

#WATWB also wants to link to charities supported by the co-hosts, and you could choose to donate to some of them or add links to local charities you support. Here’s the organization I’ve come to love and support: PROJECT WHY— and here’s one of my previous posts on the work they do. Feel free to send them a little of your help– every little bit counts.

 The We are The World Blogfest Community Page on Facebook will continue to show links to the various blog posts. So you don’t have to hurry through. You can always enjoy one a day. Like the page and share your posts on the thread for the purpose.

Would you support a wild-life friendly brand? Are you a coffee lover? What heartwarming story have you heard recently? Do you have stories of wildlife or environment-friendly brands that you’d like to share?

We Are the World BlogfestPlease join Daily (w)rite on its Facebook Page in case you’d like to be heard by this community (Click on See First).

If you liked this post, you can have biweekly posts delivered to your inbox: click the SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL button. (Feel free to share this post if you like it. You’ll find icons to re-blog it via WordPress and Blogger to the left of this post.)

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

50 Comments

  • I think this initiative shows good stewardship and for those who drink coffee it is a way for them to support this through their purchases of wildlife-friendly brands. Thanks for sharing and for being an important part of #WATWB.

  • Susan Scott says:

    I LOVE coffee and am always on the lookout for eco-friendly beans or instant coffee. There are quite a few here in South Africa, some from Kenya, Ethiopia and other, and boy! are they delicious!

  • laughingatthesky1 says:

    I am a coffee lover and would support wildlife-friendly brands. I often get Equal Exchange a fair-trade coffee that is eco friendly. I will definitely look for WildKaapi

  • Nick Wilford says:

    Sounds like a great initiative. An excellent idea to bring benefits to both the farmers and wildlife.

  • Inderpreet says:

    I will order this coffee as well, it is right here in India. Such a good way to support the growers and wildlife.
    Thanks for sharing.

  • How nice for them to get some free press on this very popular blog! Shine on.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Cinda, this Blogfest is all about shining light on people trying to do good: I hope this venture succeeds, because wildlife is in serious peril in India and very little is being done to protect it.

  • dgkaye says:

    I’d definitely give it a go! 🙂 Great share D. 🙂

  • Environmentally friendly coffee?!? Definitely something for me to look into. Thank you so much for sharing this! #WATWB!

  • Interesting to read about Wildlife Kaapi. It’s a great initiative with a noble cause. I would also like to taste the brand soon. Happy to join with you for #WATWB !!!

  • I love this, Damyanti! Yes, India faces some dire challenges in nature preservation, so this initiative, with all the odds against it, is doubly encouraging. I’ll definitely look into ordering some (who knows, maybe Curaçao can become a regular export partner for them; people here tend to be more inclined towards eco-friendly consumerism, so perhaps…), and I’ll also spread the word as much as I can. Thanks for sharing!
    Guilie @ Quiet Laughter

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thanks, Guilie! Be wonderful if it worked out. I don’t know the WildKaapi owners but they seem to be cool with the idea of shipping internationally.

      Wildlife in India and the world over can use all the help they can get.

  • Yes, I <3 my coffee!!
    Wildlife-friendly coffee? I would try this in a flash…just not sure about international shipping costs…
    Yay for coffee scoring another win for mankind, as we travel along the road to sustainable living!

    #WATWB #InDarknessBeLight

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Yes, I know of your coffee addiction!

      Check out the site–maybe the shipping costs wouldn’t be prohibitive.

  • That’s a very inspiring mission statement – I hope they’re find great success. Growing and processing coffee requires a mind-boggling amount of water, and so I think it’s especially important that if we’re going to indulge that we find the most responsible sources to support. Fair-trade, animal-friendly, and environmentally aware – all good things indeed.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Yes, they check all the right boxes.
      I wish all corporate entities would embrace such principles.

  • Shailaja V says:

    This is extremely heartwarming to read about. I love initiatives which give credit and help the growers or artisans directly. Many cottage emporiums do a similar thing where the proceeds go directly to the artists instead of the dealers who will make a buck in the process.

    I don’t drink coffee but my in-laws do. I will forward the details of this to them. Perhaps they will find it useful. Thank you for sharing their story, Damyanti.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Shailaja, heartwarming indeed to find Indians who are stepping up to support wildlife in practical, sustainable ways.

      If your in laws do try out the brand let us know how they like it.

      The more feedback, the better awareness.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  • Emily Bloomquist says:

    Love the mission statement for this company and I wish them every success. A friend of mine grows and sells coffee from his eco friendly farm here in Ecuador. I will have to ask how he ensures his farm is wildlife friendly. Thanks for sharing this Damyanti! It gives me more to think about when buying and supporting products.

  • Looking forward for wildlife coffee..’

  • Shilpa Garg says:

    That’s such a fabulous initiative that benefits everyone. Will look out for WildKaapi and try it. Thanks for sharing, Damyanti!

  • Love the idea of wildlife-friendly coffee! I buy only fair trade coffee. I will check to see if it’s environmentally-friendly as well.

  • Almost Iowa says:

    I am not sure whether my coffee is wildlife friendly, but I can tell you that I am not friendly to wildlife until I have had my coffee, or so can attest the birds who I swear at every morning until I have had my first sip of the day.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Do not offend the birds. From personal experience, I know it to be an expensive mistake 🙂

  • JoAnna says:

    Certainly a worthy cause! Thanks for sharing.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      It is! Would love all my coffee aficionado friends to try it out!

  • Peter Nena says:

    At this moment in time, any attempt to save the environment is truly appreciated. I thank Avinash Sosale and Dr. Krithi Karanth for their thoughtful initiative. As people drink coffee let them also be reminded that animals are awesome.
    Thank you for sharing this, Damyanti.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Yes, Peter, initiatives like this fill me with hope and that’s why I thought of sharing it.

  • lizhartz says:

    Thanks for sharing the news about this wildlife friendly coffee, Damyantie. I want to support this initiative by buying beans for my coffee-loving sweetheart, assuming they export their coffee? And thanks for commenting on my post!

  • hilarymb says:

    Hi Damyantie – love that the name of the Western Ghats mountains – The Benevolent Mountains – ties in so well with this amazing initiative … and all initiatives which look for new ways of helping small suppliers and communal growers are so deserving of our cause. the Mission statement of keeping the growing area wildlife friendly, reduce deforestation, minimize the usage of chemical inputs, implement good labour practices and at the same incentivize the process for the farmers – just makes so much sense in this day and age. Cheers Hilary

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      It absolutely does, Hilary. Thanks for your comment– I’m planning to order this coffee and will update this thread on its quality.

  • Thanks… yes, this is something I would like to try out to. Such initiatives need our support.

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Wonderful, Roshan. I hope you like their coffees. If the coffee is good, maybe this brand would flourish and spread a great message at the same time.

  • I’ve seen this one somewhere, but I had no idea that Agora was an Indian brand of coffee. Their mission statement does sound very encouraging. They are attempting a daunting but laudable task. Thank you for bringing this story to us, Damyanti.

  • datmama4 says:

    This is a wonderful initiative to preserve nature while still providing COFFEE, which will always get my vote. Good find, Damyanti!

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      Thanks, Lynda, and if you’re a coffee-lover, consider ordering from them!

  • so glad to know about this. Thank you, Damyanti!

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      You’re welcome, Linda. I hope you choose them if you’re ever in the mood for specialty coffee.

  • simonfalk28 says:

    I just love these simple and practical solutions, Damyanti. Will they export their coffee? Thanks for all you do for us.

  • That is environmentally friendly coffee. If only I drank coffee…

    • Damyanti Biswas says:

      It is. It can be a cool gift for a coffeelover in your life, Alex.