He said he spent time listening to farmers talk about how they grow their coffee beans and how they are paid.
“It costs them a lot to do organically grown, shade-grown coffee, to the point where they care about what they feed their cows because their manure is what they use in the soil,” he said.
Sarfani partnered with nonprofit Farmers to 40 to open his own coffeehouse, Apanas Coffee & Beer, in January in Domain Northside. He said he wanted to make sure coffee farmers were paid fairly for their efforts in growing higher-quality coffee.
“To know what I was paying for coffee yielded double fair-trade prices for the farmer and that was probably the best in the industry, that was an awesome exposure,” he said.
“I wanted to change the world in the way people consume." —Kate Davis, founder of Helpful Human online marketplace
His coffee shop uses beans from the El Peten and Los Pinos farms in Nicaragua, and 40 percent of the price he pays for that coffee goes to the farmers.
“What we’re trying to do is have proportional growth, so if I’m growing so is my farmer,” he said. “It’s a partnership. It’s not, ‘I’ll grow and keep the rest of the profits.’”
At O’JOY on Burnet Road, co-owners Michael and Ghena Ramos serve made-from-scratch smoothies, juices and bowls of blended frozen fruit topped with yogurt and fruit using only organic and local ingredients.
They also adopted a one-for-one business model. For each item sold, O’JOY donates a meal to a child in need through its partner charities, Rice Bowls and No Kid Hungry.
“We also wanted to start our own charity organization, but that means [more] funds so we decided to start a business so through it we could donate to charity organizations and hopefully in the long run start our own,” she said.
Austin-based ethical fashion brand Raven + Lily opened a flagship store in May in the Rock Rose district of Domain Northside.
Handmade products are designed in-house, but Raven + Lily employs 1,500 artisans in nine countries, said Ashley Yarborough, community outreach and event manager. The company helps women hone their skills and source local materials in their countries.
“We want to empower the women in the way we talk about them and their stories,” she said. “We want to have a mutually beneficial relationship.”
The relationship goes beyond providing a sustainable income. Raven + Lily’s partnerships include providing health care and education and supporting schools in the women’s communities.
Raven + Lily is also a registered and certified B Corp, or public benefit corporation. This means it is legally accountable to achieving its mission and is also audited, Yarborough said.
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Austin resident Kate Davis recalled a day she sat at The Domain watching shoppers and reflecting on a recent trip to Cambodia. She had witnessed a 4-year-old girl begging for money for her baby sister. Davis said she was struck by the consumer-driven society in the U.S. and wanted to educate people about their buying power.
“I wanted to change the world in the way people consume by providing people with options and getting information out there,” she said. “There’s so many companies out there that are socially responsible.”
She launched online marketplace Helpful Human in March. Via the website consumers can shop for products from companies invested in fair trade.
Davis said she researches and interviews each company before choosing to sell their products on the site. Conscious consumerism is important, she said, because it ensures consumers buy products from workers who are paid fairly.
This concept is similar to the mission at North Austin-based Matr Boomie. Founder Manish Gupta said the wholesaler designs products handmade by artisans from his native land of India. Artisans are paid fairly in an effort to help end the cycle of poverty and restore artisans’ pride in their craft.
Matr Boomie sells items created by more than 40 artisan communities representing 25 art forms, from textiles and woodworking to jewelry and applique.
“Almost every artisan we work with on their product, most say art is their identity,” Gupta said. “It’s more than a way to make money. … When they start to see demand for their product and earn sustainable wages, the biggest impact is gaining self-confidence.”
He said that is the catalyst to creating partnerships with artisans to help them thrive. Matr Boomie also invests in the health of artisans and their communities by funding health scans, solar-powered lights, water filters and mitigation of safety hazards such as toxic fumes.
Gupta said he encourages consumers to research companies and inquire how they make their products.
“Take responsibility of gaining knowledge that the product you’re supporting is empowering the worker and supporting and restoring the environment,” he said. “… Conscious consumers inspire others.”
