Cultural Conscience

 

It is everyone's responsibility to give what they can to contribute to the growth and betterment of our society, and Caleb's Coffee takes this responsibility seriously by actively working to build culture on both a local and global level. Culture can be promoted through business in many ways, and Caleb's Coffee works specifically to do so through education, freedom of information, and philanthropy.

 

Education

 

Before accepting the calling to coffee, I spent many years as a student and professional educator and now I see Caleb's Coffee as an opportunity to help people learn about coffee and the world. For the single-origin coffees, the label includes an interesting story about the particular farm or co-op that grew the coffee. The web site also includes a section to help you learn about coffee, and I frequently post links to interesting stories on social media like Facebook and Twitter. I always love talking to people about coffee, too!

 

My favorite way to spread knowledge is with the Coffee Facts: the back label of each bag of Caleb's Coffee contains a random piece of information about topics ranging through history, science, brewing techniques, and more. I started doing this because there are so many things I want to tell people about coffee, but I can't sit and talk with everyone. Whenever I think of something that I want people to know, I write it in a Coffee Fact, and stick it on your bag of coffee. Each fact is numbered, so you can collect them all!

 

I also offer educational seminars in a variety of formats and on a variety of topics. I can discuss the history and cultural importance of coffee, advice about brewing coffee, chemistry of coffee, and more. These seminars can be tailored to a number of different circumstances, from one-on-one consulting with business partners to large group classes. Please contact me for information about scheduling an educational event.

 

Freedom of information

 

We are entering a new era of information where it is not only impractical but also immoral to hoard information and charge money for it. Legal protection of media through copyright law makes perfect sense for artists whose income depends on their work. The same copyright protection is automatically applied to anything you create. However, Caleb's Coffee makes money from selling coffee and associated experiences, not from selling information! There's no reason for the educational media to be so tightly guarded.

 

It is for this reason that Caleb's Coffee releases all text, photos, and other media on the web site, promotional materials, etc. under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which is also used by Wikipedia and other familiar organizations. This alternative to traditional copyright allows people to freely adapt and re-use materials, as long as they are both attributed to the original creator and also released under the same Attribution-ShareAlike license. Creative Commons licensing is advantageous for businesses because it allows business partners, the press, and others to freely use and adapt materials without having to ask specific permission or pay royalties while still requiring attribution of the source.

 

Releasing information under Creative Commons licensing, instead of retaining traditional default copyright, is important to ensure the free flow of information for the future betterment of humankind. Books and newspapers cost money to print and distribute and should cost money, but with the advent of the internet, data can be easily disseminated basically for free. Everyone's life gets better when people understand the world more (that's why we have schools) so why not make knowledge as freely available as possible?

 

Philanthropy

 

Caleb's Coffee is a vehicle for positive social change at home and abroad. Having been involved with a number of nonprofit organizations, I understand the importance of giving back to the community. If you have a nonprofit event that could benefit from some good brews, I can bring a complete setup, including table, coffee pots, grinder, etc. and take care of everything for you! Please contact me for information about scheduling a nonprofit event, and read more about my coffee collaborations on the Philanthropy page.

 

Visit the Moral Principles page or the About Caleb's Coffee page to learn more.