Counter Culture Coffee, Peregrine Espresso & Finca Mauritania Partner in Reforestation Project
Posted: 11-24-2009 : WASHINGTON, D.C. & DURHAM, N.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. & DURHAM, N.C. – Counter Culture Coffee, Peregrine Espresso, and Finca Mauritania announced the inception of a groundbreaking pilot project to fight global climate change and protect the soil, water, and biodiversity of the Santa Ana, El Salvador-based coffee farm Finca Mauritania. Beginning November 1, Washington, DC-based Peregrine Espresso, located across from Eastern Market at 660 Pennsylvania Ave SE, began contributing $0.25 per cup and $1.00 per pound of Finca Mauritania coffee sold to a tree-planting program on the farm. Peregrine owner Ryan Jensen has also pledged to match contributions to the program up to $500. Durham, NC-based Counter Culture Coffee, which supplies Peregrine with its single-origin coffees and espresso blends, partners directly with Finca Mauritania owner-operator Aida Batlle to source, roast, and market coffee from the farm in the United States. Together, representing the foundational elements of the coffee supply chain – farm, roaster, and retailer – Finca Mauritania, Counter Culture Coffee, and Peregrine Espresso hope the reforestation project not only helps fight global climate change, but also helps protect the ecosystem around the farm and raise awareness about the direct correlation between coffee quality and sustainability.

“Peregrine Espresso is proud of our role in this project and invites our customers to join in this initiative to fight global climate change and create a more sustainable coffee trade,” said Peregrine manager Meredith Taylor. “Our hope is that $0.25 per cup and $1.00 per pound will not only make an impact on Aida's farm, but that this project will also help our customers to connect their coffee experience with the work farmers are doing at origin."

Aida Batlle, owner-operator of Finca Mauritania, stands out as one of coffee’s most innovative and passionate individuals, and coffee lovers in the U.S. have celebrated her dedication to growing the heirloom Bourbon coffee variety since Counter Culture began working with her in 2004. Aida has established Finca Mauritania as a model of sustainable agriculture and fair working conditions, and after three challenging years of transition, she successfully obtained organic certification for the farm in 2008. As Aida often remarks, her ability to produce great-tasting coffee depends on the health of her coffee plants, which in turn depends on the health of the natural environment.

“Everyone at Finca Mauritania is thrilled to be a part of this project, which will contribute to both the ecological health of our farm and the long-term quality and sustainability of our coffee,” said Batlle. “Uncompromising commitments to quality stewardship, sustainability, and transparency make Counter Culture Coffee and Peregrine Espresso ideal partners, and we look forward to building upon this exciting pilot project in the future.”

The tree-planting project is scheduled to begin in summer 2010 between Finca Mauritania’s next two coffee harvests. A diverse mixture of trees, including nitrogen fixers, lumber producers, and fruit trees will be selected for planting.

“Tree planting on coffee farms offers myriad ecological benefits, including slower maturation, sweeter fruit, reduction of fertilizer dependence, and the prevention of topsoil erosion,” said Counter Culture Coffee Sustainability & Producer Relations Manager Kim Elena Bullock. “In addition, tree trunks, branches, and canopies provide habitats for birds and other wildlife; and a tree can sequester 50 pounds of carbon per year, helping to counteract the effects of deforestation.”

Peregrine Espresso
660 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington DC 20003
t.202-629-4381
info@peregrineespresso.com

About Counter Culture Coffee
Founded in 1995, Durham, NC-based Counter Culture Coffee pursues coffee perfection with a consuming passion. From its direct collaboration with coffee farmers and craft roasting to its cutting-edge coffee education program and innovative sustainable business practices, Counter Culture represents a new paradigm in the specialty coffee. Guided by its overarching commitments to quality, sustainability, and education, Counter Culture partners directly with producers at origin to import and roast premium coffees for cafes, restaurants, and specialty markets. The organization holds weekly public coffee cuppings and teaches a full curriculum of coffee education courses at regional training centers in Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; New York City; and Asheville, Charlotte, and Durham, NC. Counter Culture Coffee and its coffees have been acclaimed in publications including Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, DETAILS, Food & Wine, Real Simple, Wine Spectator, Forbes, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. For more information or to order coffee, please visit www.counterculturecoffee.com.