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THE REAL COST OF GOING GREEN 
Dreaming of a Greener Christmas Jim Chapman’s world is one full of stark contrast. From the pristine, affluent neighbourhoods of his home on the Gold Coast, to the slums of Africa, where poverty is incomprehensible to the average Australian – Jim has seen it all.
Jim grew up in Australia, but his family moved to Kenya in 2008, where his parents run a safari lodge and aid in charity work. Jim travels between the two countries while studying, but is still shocked by the differences he encounters each time he steps off a plane.
“When we moved there, my eyes were opened to a totally new world; one of poverty, lack of opportunity and yet full of hope and potential. We became involved with a school in Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa, and every time I would return to Australia, I couldn’t stop contrasting these two worlds – one where the average income is less than a dollar per day, and the other where we spend $4.50 on a cup of coffee,” Jim said.
While drinking coffee at university back in the Gold Coast one day, Jim realised he had the opportunity to do something to help. In business school, he learnt that most companies exist to make a profit and to maximise shareholder wealth. Essentially, when it comes to business, capitalism is the driving force.
However, there is an alternative, one that taps into the fundamental humanitarian perspective that people are inherently selfless and want to do good.
“When profit is the fundamental goal of the business, it comes at the expense of the environment and many parts of the developing world. Capitalism is great, but it forgets one thing – that people are selfless and want to help each other. This is when I became very interested in the idea of social business – businesses dedicated to serving some of the world’s most pressing needs.”
What could he do? Coffee was his answer.This humble and much-loved caffeinated beverage became the way Jim and his soon to- be social business could leverage the greatest impact from a single, well-marketed product. It not only has mass appeal and high consumption, but also has strong links to the developing world as well as environmental concerns.
“I thought coffee was the way to have the greatest impact, not only because it is the second largest traded commodity in the world, but because 90 per cent of it is grown in the developing world, and yet 90 per cent of it is consumed in the First World. Over 17 million cups are consumed in Australia each day alone,” Jim said.
“From an environmental perspective, shockingly, over 55 million coffee pods are sent to landfill every day… This is because most of our coffee pods are either not recycled, or are not able to be processed by our recycling systems (they are too small).”
Enter – The Nice Coffee Co.
Jim created The Nice Coffee Co. to help break this cycle of injustice, both from a social as well as environmental perspective. At present, Jim works on the business mainly from Australia and his brother, Charley, manages the project from Kenya. All proceeds from the sale of their ethically-sourced, fair trade coffee go directly to helping one of their projects. The focus is on rebuilding the Kibera Slum school and providing better quality educational opportunities for the local children.
As a consumer, Jim’s coffee provides an opportunity to give back to the poorest in the world, as well as reduce plastic use in the home through a simple switch from the standard pods we have all come to recognise.
The Nice Coffee Co. has partnered with a bio-pod packer in Queensland, which uses the sugar cane plant to manufacture the pods. After use, the pods biodegrade in just 12 weeks, leaving no trace to pollute the earth. Rest assured, the taste is still amazing; Jim has never compromised on quality for his signature beans.
“We want The Nice Coffee Co to be a model business that others can follow, one that looks after its supply chain, the environment, and the poor. That’s why we wanted to create the biodegradable pod – to help businesses and consumers reduce their impact on the environment.”
“The power of the consumer is remarkable. By making conscious purchases regarding plastic, we are able to send clear messages to producers that we want change. If you are currently buying coffee pods, do you really know where that pod will end up?”
As well as supplying home connoisseurs with a steady supply of feel-good coffee,The Nice Coffee Co. has expanded to offer machines, pods and beans to a range of corporate customers around the country. The team is committed to continue their work in Kenya through encouraging a new wave of hotels and corporate customers to further buoy their impact and continue expanding their projects.
Log onto www.nicecoffee.org to find out more about the projects and – importantly – the beans. If you work in an office of coffee-lovers, consider getting in touch with The Nice Coffee Co. for your corporate coffee solutions.