“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. We’ve all heard this saying. We’ve also heard, “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Here at CICR we like to take this saying a step further. Let me show you.
“Give a man a fish? What if he could own the pond?
Western culture’s concept of charity is generally “Give a man a fish.” Some take this a step further, and “Teach a man to fish.”
Here at CICR, we’re a little more entrepreneurial than that. We want to, “Teach the man to own the pond!” If a man owns the pond he not only changes his life but the lives of his children and grandchildren. Land-ownership eliminates poverty — generationally.
Owning the pond: Sustainable Agriculture.
Through our partnership with Agros we can help the man own the pond. Agros provides land-ownership programs to farmers in developing countries. Now, before you ask, Agros doesn’t just give them the land. No way. That’s “Give a man a fish.” That’s not sustainable. Instead Agros provides the financing to purchase the land — at low interest or no interest at all. Within 7 years whole villages of farmers have “deed burning” parties — celebrating their status as landowners.
As Agros supporters, we’ve seen the entrepreneurial results of dollars invested in these communities. It’s amazing to see how so much can be accomplished with so little. Check out Agros.org to see for yourself.
While giving a person money is generous, it is not always wise. When you help people with the proper training and give them the opportunity to own their own land -watch out! The human spirit takes over and change happens!
But What Has This Got To Do With Ethical Coffee?
For every shipment of coffee we send out we give $1 back to Agros. By giving to Agros with every shipment we tie this model of charity directly to you — the consumer. You become part of this process. With something as simple and beautiful as a cup of coffee you can be a part of redefining charity in the 21st century. With every sip you generationally change farmer’s lives. That’s ethical coffee!
That’s why we would love for you to be a part of the process. Let’s face it. You’re going to buy coffee anyway. Why not be a part of a greater movement. Don’t just write a check during the Holidays! That’s like “Give a man a fish.” Be a part of sustainable agriculture in the developing world — “Teach him to own the pond!”
Thank you for your help!
Jeff – CICR
Want to do more than “Give a man a fish?”
Click below and we’ll send you a sample of free coffee to get you started.
This note is a little late and we apologize for that! On Friday, February 27th, Camano Island Coffee Roasters was able to host a class of 19 people from Edmonds Community College. Jeff gave them a tour and was able to talk with them about sustainable business. Another hot topic they discussed was a very important topic to us at CICR: Ethical Business. The class received the discussion warmly and were open and inquisitive. Thank you to Edmonds Community College for the opportunity to spend time sharing our business and our vision with you!
My lovely wife gave out cups of our 
Myself? Well, I made a bunch of lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, americanos, and straight espressos and pulled all the shots after Jeff’s token espresso in the picture to the left (haha… I can’t give it up!) I was also able to explain more of the technical details of flavor characteristics of coffee as well as some of the best extraction methods (eg. 
After 8 years as President of Camano Island Coffee Roasters I am convinced that the goal of every business is to listen to their “community”, give their “customers” what they ask for, and enrich the “communities” they are a part of.
