It has been two weeks since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The attack, with Russian president Vladmir Putin claims is to “de-nazify” the neighboring country, has received near-universal criticism, with many companies pulling their businesses from the country and governments from around the globe levying nearly 3,000 new sanctions on Russia, doubling its total number of sanctions and making it the most sanctioned country on the planet. In that two week period, over two million Ukrainians have fled their homes, most of them for Poland and other countries to the west, in what one United Nations Grand Commissioner calls “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”
The conflict is fast-changing but one thing has remained constant since the onset: the people of Ukraine are in desperate need of aid. And as it so often does in times of crisis, the global coffee community has rallied to help in whatever small ways they can. Coffee companies from around the globe are holding raffles, fundraisers, or simply donating portions of their sales to relief efforts for the people of Ukraine, both displaced and still living within their borders. To help amplify their work, we have compiled an ever-updating list of coffee companies raising money for Ukrainian aid.
Is your coffee company raising funds for relief efforts in Ukraine? Let us know!
Dark Arts Coffee: Never one to mince words (or pass on the chance to use a curse), the UK’s Dark Arts Coffee Roasters has released a “Russian Warship Go Fuck Yourself” single-origin coffee. Named after one of the more famous exchanges between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, Dark Arts will donate £2 for every bag of the £10.00 special release coffee purchased to”support the victims and refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine.”
Hard Beans Coffee: In neighboring Poland, Opole’s Hard Beans Coffee Roasters is working as a collection site for donation items Ukrainian refugees are in desperate need of. Per their Instagram post, items include: water, tea, oatmeal, pasta, baby food, warm clothing, personal hygiene products, blankets, bedding, and kitchenware. Hard Beans will then transport all the items to the main collection site for distribution.
Coffeedesk: Polish coffee and gear distributor Coffeedesk is donating 10% of all sales of products from Polish roasteries to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Coffeedesk has recently added a new coffee donated by green importer Bero Polska and roasted by five different Polish roasters, with 100% of the procedes benefitting Polish Humanitarian Action.
Caffeine Magazine: In London, Caffeine Magazine is donating the entirety of the sales—”not profit, 100% of the sale“—of their remaining stock of Department of Brewology posters.
Specialty Coffee Association: The SCA has announced they will be donating 100% of the revenue from ticket sales for World of Coffee Warsaw to support “relief efforts for Ukrainian coffee businesses and coffee professionals.”
Bell Lane Coffee: Ireland’s Bell Lane Coffee will be donating 100% of sales of its natural processed Colombia Los Alpes to UNICEF‘s Ukrainian relief efforts. Bags can be purchased for €25 via Bell Lane’s official website.
Java Coffee Roasters: Poland’s Java Coffee Roasters will donate 5% from all online coffee sales to Polish Humanitarian Action to assist with aid efforts in Ukraine.
Department of Brewology: With an updated version of their “Make Coffee Not War” poster design that includes the colors of the Ukrainian flag, the Department of Brewology will be donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of the new posters to the International Rescue Committee. Posters are on pre-order now and will begin shipping out March 25th.
We’ll be updating this list regularly, so check back often for new fundraisers.
This story is developing…
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
