Rethink
Imagine you are walking into a large coffee chain store. You reach the counter and order a Tall Latte. Look around. The interior design is the same as every other you’ve ever seen and while you know they promote some sustainable products, there is a clear feeling of being a part of a large consumer machine, where everyone is the same. You love the coffee here, and the quality of coffee is the most important to you, but you wish there was some way to know the real story of the product you are about to consume.
You look up at the register as you pay and notice the screen above it. It says, “Yosef says thank you from Wodajo Family Farm!” There is a photo of a man, presumably Yosef emptying baskets of green coffee beans into sacks on a tiny plot of African farmland. You assume this must be just some more marketing on the part of a massive world company but when you look back at the person that was behind you in the queue, you see that the screen has a different name, with a new photo of a large family of farmers. You sit down to drink your coffee and you notice the funny looking scan code sticker on your cup. You use a smartphone application to scan the code.
As soon as the code has been scanned you are taken to a website that shows you exactly where your coffee is from (Hawassa, Ethiopia), when it was harvested (only three weeks ago, that’s fresh!), details about the farm, the family and Yosef himself. It also explains that Yosef’s wife is expecting their second child and there has been a drought that has cut into his coffee crop this season. There is an option to donate £1 of aid to help provide for the new baby, directly donated to the farmer and matched by the coffeeshop’s foundation. You can also rate the cup of coffee on a five star scale knowing that you want to show appreciation for his hard work and such a good cup of coffee.
A month later, you return to the coffee shop and remember Yosef and his family. You specifically request coffee from the Wodajo family farm. When you scan the code on your cup, you see a photo of Yosef with his healthy newborn son, Dawit, with a thank you message for your generous support.
