At the beginning of its existence, GoFundBean was an Instagram account created to serve as a hub for the many virtual tip jars being created around the country for baristas impacted by COVID-19. With hundreds of entries, the project created by coffee professional Adam JacksonBey soon outgrew the photo sharing platform and moved its primary home to its own official website (though the Instagram account is still very much a thriving part of GFB’s platform).
But the biggest change came in April, when GoFundBean stopped being merely a collation effort and began actively engaging in fundraising partnerships for the cafes listed on their site. First was their collaboration with Melitta, where they collected 100% of the profits for all online pour-over sales between April and June, the total amount raised to be announced soon. Next came a partnership with Seattle Coffee Gear, who pledged $130,000 to virtual tip jars on the platform. And now, GoFundBean is at it again with a brand-new partnership with JNP Coffee. For the entire month of July, 5% of any purchases made from the green coffee buyer have the option of going to GoFundBean to be applied to grants for out of work baristas.
Created by Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee is a green coffee producer, importer, and exporter specializing in Burundian coffee, particularly those produced by women. Along with working directly with a 600-member coop of women growers, JNP is the purchaser of the majority of the coffee produced by women from the Burundi chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Association.
In a press release about the new collaboration JacksonBey states the partnership will be beneficial for both ends of the supply chain. “This opportunity to collaborate with JNP Coffee will help coffee professionals in need while also encouraging roasters, cafes, and home coffee lovers alike to try some delicious Burundian coffees that they may have skipped in the past.”
The process is simple. For the entire month of July, whenever you purchase at least one bag of coffee from JNP, all you need to do is use the code GFB2020 at checkout to have 5% of the total sale go to GoFundBean. That money will then be collected and then given in the form of grants to coffee professionals struggling financially due to COVID-19. For baristas looking to be considered for one of the grants, applications will go out in mid- to late-July.
From buying and roasting coffee to brewing and everything in between, GoFundBean has made it possible to get money to coffee professionals in need no matter where you are on the supply chain. For more information on the initiative, visit GoFundBean’s Instagram account. To request green coffee samples, visit JNP Coffee’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
