For this juicy episode, Claudi ventured out to meet Martin Elwert, co-founder of Coffee Circle (@coffee_circle), who are a certified B-Corp. We've been on a bit of a B-Corp tour in Berlin lately - in episode no.13 we chatted to the co-founder of soulbottles, which happens to be a B-Corp, too.
If you’re not sure what a B-Corp is, there’s a cool video explaining the whole concept in the shownotes for you…
QUICK FACTS ABOUT COFFEE CIRCLE
Coffee Circle is all about high-quality coffee that’s delivered right to your doorstep. They personally source top single origin coffee directly, from the highlands of Ethiopia, and meanwhile also from lesser known coffee nations like Laos or Myanmar. They follow strict principles and pay the farmers prices far above the world market. And they invest 1 Euro per kg of coffee into social projects in the growing regions, with 100% of all donations going into the projects.
So far, Coffee Circle had a positive impact on more than 39.000 people in the growing regions, raising 490.000 euros for their projects. They’re really transparent about this, you can read about each single project on their website. And they deeply believe in entrepreneurship as the driving force for development, which is also a key focus of our interview.
The green coffee is then shipped to Germany and roasted fresh here in their new roastery in Wedding, which is where we are right now. I tell ya, it smells damn good. The wild Wedding is definitely one of Berlin’s most contrasting and therefore also most exciting neighbourhoods. Man, I love to come up here. It’s much rougher than other areas - but it’s home to a nicely down down-to-earth artist & alternative scene. Perfect for roamers and explorers seeking for an authentic, pre-gentrified vibe, a bit more off the beaten path than Kreuzberg & co.
Recently we did one of our Circular Economy Tour & Dinner experiences here and it’s been one of my favorites, really. Speaking of Circular Economy Tours, if you’re interested in exploring what a world with zero waste could look like and how creative Berlin projects are trying to make it happen, make sure to join us on our next tour: it’s happening on the 9th November and this time we’ll visit some of the circular economy heroes in Prenzlauer Berg. It all ends with a yummy zero waste dinner, which is hosted by our friends at OAK & ICE. Come join us, meet a bunch of like-minded people, exchange crazy ideas about a greener future and make some really amazing connections within the Berlin scene. You can find all the details in the shownotes, on our Facebook page, in the events calendar, and then easily book your spot through Eventbrite, or shoot us an email to [email protected]
Switching back to Coffee Circle: You know, not only is coffee sth that many many people in the world drink… It’s also one of the commodities that created the biggest imbalance between the wealthy nations and the developing world, AND at the same time coffee is without a doubt one of the most famous and widely spread Fair Trade products in the world. So it’s a great idea to build a social business around that and magnify its possibilities to alleviate poverty. Which is exactly what Coffee Circle is doing.
What is a social business? It’s a business that is dedicating its entire purpose to solve a social problem. It’s not about profit, money is just the means to drive the business and its mission forward. It’s also often defined as new way of conscious capitalism. What excites me about it, is that it really has the power to address the most pressing problems of humanity, without being dependent on donations or fundraising. Now there’s lots of different models and definitions out there. I highly recommend reading “Building Social Business” by Muhammad Yunus, who is kind of a luminary in this field. He’s founded the Grameen Bank, a bank run exclusively for and by the poor. It’s really inspiring and visionary and it’s giving me SO many ideas… even though you may not agree with 100% everything - if you wanna learn more about the idea of Social Business, then check it out.
As for Coffee Circle, the impact these guys had within the last 7 years has been remarkable. One of the key takeaways from our chat was, that if you are running a sustainably-oriented business that serves a social purpose, you have to be not only as good as conventional businesses - you have to be better.
WHAT ELSE YOU LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
- Some major traits that all social entrepreneurs should have
- How to have the greatest impact per euro invested
- The crucial difference to „normal development work“
- The notion of dignity in social business
- The challenge of building trust and credibility - and how to solve it
- Why coffee circle decided deliberately against Fair Trade
- Where to find the biggest potential for future social entrepreneurs
- What exactly is the idea behind 3rd wave coffee (and what’s 1st and 2nd wave)
- Which role Berlin played in kicking Coffee Circle off the ground - How the startup scene in Berlin is shifting
- The myth behind the ever-coming Wedding & how it feels to be the first mover
- Why it’s so important to get expectations right
- The biggest crisis Coffee Circle had to face last year & what happened behind the scenes
- The importance of being humble & appreciative of the people around you
Okay guys, you see there’s a hell of a LOT to take away here, so without any further delay: time to get into the show NOW!
Find the full transcript, incl. photos and links on www.greenmeberlin.com/podcast-coffee-cirlce
SHOWNOTES:
- Video: Coffee Circle - Our Vision Of Direct Trade
- Projects realized by Coffee Circle (in German)
- betahaus Berlin (Coworking Space)
- Christoph Fahle (founder of betahaus)
- Project E
- Book: Steven Pressfield “The War of Art”
- Coffee Circle partner cafés, map
- Daluma
- Haferkater
- Circular Economy Tour Prenzl’Berg, 9th November (get your ticket)
- GMBP13 soulbottles - a soul-driven startup against plastic waste
- GMBP3 himmelbeet - how an urban garden builds a green hub for everyone
FINAL SHOUT OUTS
...it’d be a pleasure to see you on our next Circular Economy Tour & Dinner in Prenzl’Berg on the 9th November, so check out the details & grab your ticket now.
...more tour news from the GreenMe Berlin universe: we’ve just updated our tour website, www.greenmeberlin.com/tours with lots of great routes and experiences to choose from. So if you are looking out for a unique experience with the Berlin green scene, check it out and get in touch with us!
...if you took value out of this episode, please share it with your friends and leave us a short review on iTunes. Your feedback is important to make the show better and spread the messages to more people. Thanks so much for supporting us, it really means a lot!
...and lastly, if you wanna stay up to date with the latest interviews, green events, tours and our explorations in the Berlin green scene, sign up for our monthly newsletter. We got a little thank you if you do so: we’ll send you our best-of guide to 7 of awesome eco-minded places in the city for free. To get it, just go to www.greenmeberlin.com/newsletter
That’s it! Thanks so much for listening! Good times are coming & we all have the power to make it happen. So go out & spread some good green vibes :)
