... AND HOW YOU CAN HELP!
Did you know that coffee trees provide farmers with valuable income and promote reforestation in a landscape with very little coverage in Haiti? Singing Rooster is committed to restoring Haitian lands and thus sells delicious coffee in hopes of reforesting Haiti.
Haiti is one of the most deforested nations on earth.
Help Singing Rooster plant coffee trees — trees that provide farmers with valuable income AND promote reforestation in a country with little tree coverage. A single coffee seedling = 20 years of crops. You may be asking yourself, "Why is Haiti so deforested?"... according to Bob Corbett, a Haitian historian, these are the main factors:
Colonization - In the 1750s, Haiti was the richest colony in the world and provided as much as 50% of the GNP of France. The French imported sugar, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, indigo, and other exotic products. In France, they were refined, packaged, and sold all over Europe. Incredible fortunes were made from this tiny colony and at the expense of the land. Vast swaths of rainforest were decimated for tobacco, cotton & sugar cane fields.
International Boycott of the New Republic -
France invested A LOT of money in their jewel colony. After slaves rose up and freed themselves in 1804, France was humiliated and retaliated by petitioning other European nations and the U.S. to boycott the new country.
If France couldn’t have the goods, nobody would.
It wasn’t hard to get cooperation; the U.S. and many European nations still had slaves. The idea that anyone would trade with a country of former slaves and now the world’s first black republic would send the wrong message to their own enslaved population.
The result? An international boycott of Haiti’s goods and commerce plunged the Haitian economy into chaos. 150 million francs [estimated at $21 billion today] would allow Haiti to export its goods.
How’d they pay? They paid, in part, with their trees.
Forests full of glorious mahogany and other beautiful species were leveled and shipped to Europe to pay the ransom. This debt went on to plague Haiti for over 80 years and was finally paid off in 1922. In the meantime, Haiti paid the debt many times over in interest. It is difficult to measure the harm this caused, but by conservative measures, it was significant to their economy AND environment.
How You Can Help
Reforesting Haiti with Coffee is a big part of the Answer
- Trees are essential in reducing or preventing flash flooding; a single tree can intercept 1000 gallons of water annually when fully grown. Plus, trees slow water runoff & provide seepage to underground water-holding aquifers.
- Tall and short trees protect crops (and humans) from the damaging effects of wind and sun.
- They prevent erosion and restore nutrients to the soil.
- They clean the air and the soil by intercepting particles, reducing heat, and absorbing pollutants.
- Trees provide beauty and majesty to barren landscapes.
Haiti has a long road to environmental recovery, and there are many groups in Haiti who are working to restore the land. Singing Rooster is doing it's part where coffee trees are playing a significant role. Coffee VOLUME is turning the corner and providing sustainable living – sustainable living that you can help create.
At Present Lancaster, we provide gift-giving options for you for your year-long shopping needs. We want you to know how your purchase really does matter and encourage you to think of gifting the gift of coffee, especially when you are considering buying a commercial coffee gift card from a national supplier like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. Your gift will mean so much more because you can share HOW your gift is ACTUALLY impacting for GOOD!
With Father's Day right around the corner and all of the other times during the year when you're tempted to purchase a gift card or "quick" little something for someone, please consider purchasing your gift of coffee from Singing Rooster, and always consider our socially conscious partners like the adorable bee socks you see in the gift box from My Peruvian Treasures and body scrub from Girl Crush!
Your Purchase Matters!
Purchase this Bee The Change gift box that includes Singing Rooster Coffee, socks and body scrub mentioned above and more local goodies for that special gift. All items are locally sourced and sustainably produced. Visit Chestnut Ridge Honey & Beeswax Products for your gift-giving needs!
