We are always thankful to have folks from America, and nothing seems to generate excitement more than a visit from American friends to the campus in YJ. Six students from Texas came to be a part of a week-long cultural exchange and as to be expected were local celebrities during their stay. Each student was paired with a Chinese partner and spent their days seeing what life was like for their new friend. They ate with their partner, went to class with their partner, played basketball, and shared about their lives during English classes. These partnerships have significant impact on both the Chinese and the American students, and we always love the excitement and eagerness to study English that these exchange trips bring.

This year we invited a few of the Chinese students to go with their partners on a village trip. One group went to a village elementary school to distribute water filters and teach crafts, and another group went to a different village to visit a terminally ill young man. We knew that each of these situations would impact our American students, but what we didn’t expect was how moved our Chinese friends were. One Chinese students, Belinda, asked her class of 30+ to write letters to the young man she was going to visit, and during their time with him she read each letter to him. It was an amazing experience!

At Hani Coffee, we are so thankful to be a tangible part of seeing lives changed through clean water projects, English education, and the various other projects we are privileged to be a part of. But perhaps what we love most is seeing hearts touched by the giving, serving and loving that we strive to make ourselves and our company about.

It’s always great to meet new people along the way ! It’s a busy time here at Hani Coffee Co as we are working on finalizing all the logistics of getting new crop beans to you all for the 2013 season.We are excited about the offerings we have and I know you are going to enjoy the beans for this year’s coffee!

A co-worker and I were at our facilities the other day and we had a visitor come by. The parents of the  little girl in the picture work next door to our facility, so she came by to see what all this coffee stuff is about! I had to get a photo as laughing and talking with this child  reminded me of what all this is about!

Thanks you all for your continued support and as always
“Enjoy the Journey”

In mid December, Hani Coffee staff and friends visited two schools in a rural area to conduct dental hygiene training and a vision screening clinic. In the two villages, we had class and did screening for over 400 students and teachers. Aside from having a great time with the kids and communities, we were able to detect some vision problems in some  20 students.

Over the next few weeks, we will be working with ophthalmologists to determine the severity of each child’s eye problem and work with parents on a course of action to get them repaired. It’s exciting to know we will be able to help so many kids have better eyesight and in turn help them to be able to study and learn better along the way! I want to thank our staff and the friends who traveled with us for caring and being willing to work so hard to make a difference!

As always, thank you for your partnership in all this!

Enjoy the Journey!

Our new espresso machine was a big hit as were the eggnog Lattes! If you missed out on the free cup offer you can purchase one in KMG just contact the office and we can make arrangements.

The week following the Nordica fair we  were all off to two villages to conduct our first vision screening with students. Look for more on that on the web site.

As always “Enjoy the Journey!”

Recently, they have had some new employees join their staff and asked us if we would come down and provide some in-depth training to their staff. We had a wonderful full day of training as we looked at the history of coffee, elements of a great cup of coffee, and tasted various different blends, roasts, and brewing methods. All in all, it was a great weekend, and we loved the time we spent down in beautiful JingHong. If you get a chance and are traveling in the area, make sure and stop by! You won’t regret it!

It didn’t take long to round up children once we arrived, as white faces and candy always seem to draw a crowd! We started by playing games and teaching simple English greetings and then began the training. Many children in these remote areas aren’t taught basic principles of life-altering hygiene such as proper hand washing, tooth brushing, or general sanitation. With the aid of foreign friends, colorful posters, songs and lessons, our morning with the children passed altogether too quickly. To conclude the training, each child present received a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and coloring book to help them remember all that they had learned.

The rest of the day was spent visiting local friends, sharing lunch together, and identifying needs and situations that require future follow up. It was overwhelming to see the amount of physical needs in these villages from the children to the elderly, and the hearts of all who participated were touched by the needs of Hani people in these areas. While there is much more work to be done, we were grateful to participate in helping a younger generation establish healthy habits and lifestyles.

In addition to being busy in the classroom, we also participated in a basketball game where the American teachers played against the Chinese English teachers, hosted an end of the year dinner for the 32 students supported by scholarships from America, and wrapped up the week with an English competition. We are so thankful for our 11 friends from Texas who came to help this week and feel confident that they had as much fun as we did. We love seeing relationships with students develop and strengthen throughout the week and are confident that our visiting teachers loved the experience as much as our students. Thanks to all who participated for such a great week!

All of the money raised will support the work that Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF ) is doing to provide relief for the nutritional crisis in Somalia, and for Somalis living in the refugee camps of Kenya and Ethiopia. Since 2005, Doctors Without Borders has been using a supplementary food they call RUTF (Ready to Use Therapeutic Food) to provide relief to thousands of malnourished children from 6 months to 5 years. RUTFs , which are milk and peanut based and fortified with vitamins, come in a large foil packets that can be administered at home instead of in a hospital setting. Because of the portable nature of this treatment, they have seen mortality rates in severely malnourished children cut in half! Doctors Without Borders is also vaccinating children against diseases such as measles. While the media may have moved on to other current events, the crisis in Somalia still lingers and the needs are still high for the refugee population. The refugees living in Dadaab-and others on their way- need the continuous support of the UNHCR, the Kenyan government, and humanitarian organizations to survive. If conditions in the camps do not improve, refugees risk becoming victims of the system that should be assisting them.

“With just $1, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) can purchase enough vaccine to protect two children from measles or provide two packets of ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) to a malnourished child.” You can rest assure that each Hani Coffee Holiday Bag purchased this year will be making a difference one child, one family at a time.

Here at Hani Coffee Co, we will never stop working to see lives changed. As we look to 2012, we look forward to the opportunities we have to serve you in providing high quality, fresh coffee and serve the Hani people in southwest China, as well as those in need in the horn of Africa. So come with us and enjoy the journey!

We also participated in this year’s Christmas Fair at the Bei Chen Fortune Center and braved blustery days by warming ourselves and our customers with a hot cup of Hani Coffee. We are excited to see our Chinese customer base continually expanding and this weekend was another opportunity to introduce our coffee to a new culture of coffee drinkers!

As we reflect on this past year, we can’t help but be thankful for all that you have helped us accomplish. From providing clean water to mountain villages to dental hygiene training to young children – none of this would be possible without our customers and friends around the world. Thank you for believing in making a difference, and believing in Hani Coffee. We are looking forward to enjoying more of the journey with you in the New Year!

Also - check back soon for an update on how our Christmas bag proceeds will be making a difference in Somalia!

A few months ago, we were made aware of the nutritional crisis unfolding in Somalia and in the refugee camps of Kenya and Ethiopia. Although our work is focused in China, we could not turn away from the needs of so many. As we began to learn more of what is happening because of drought, wars, and climate change, it became clear that we had to make a difference.

Over the last 4 months, well over 30,000 children have died due to starvation and malnutrition related illnesses. Thousands more are sick and dying from treatable illnesses due to a lack of vaccinations, and countless people have been devastated by the lack of food and water. Many families walk for weeks in an attempt to reach the overcrowded and under supplied refugee camps along the Ethiopian and Kenyan borders of Somalia.

As our team began to hear of this unimaginable suffering, we felt a need to be a part of saving lives. Though we are a small company with limited resources, if we can bring life and hope to a few, we are all about taking that opportunity! This passion and desire has led us to support the efforts of another organization, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Over the next 3 months, every dollar we give will contribute to Doctors Without Borders relief efforts in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Pretty amazing! We believe we can literally save the lives of children with just a few bucks!

How does it work and how can you join in?

We have created some cool new packaging that will be coming out during the holiday season. On top of our regular percentage of profits going to Hani work, we are going to give $1.00 per bag of coffee directly to the Somalia crisis relief via Doctors Without Borders. We know our profits will take a hit, but we believe the true profits of Hani Coffee Co are much more than dollars!

We are inviting you to be a part. Write us, call us, go to your favorite Hani Coffee retailer, or get online and purchase some beans and know you are making a difference literally around the world.

Look for Tim’s post with more information on our support of Doctors Without Borders relief efforts in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. I’ll be doing another post on the opportunity I had to visit one of Doctors Without Borders’ projects at a refugee camps last month during my travels to Ethiopia. And as always: Enjoy the Journey! - Craig

Prices: 10oz Holiday bag $13.00
Traditional 8oz gift box $12.00
Regular 16oz bag $15.00 (add 1.00per bag for ground coffee)

About Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 70 countries.  In 1999 the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  For more information please visit doctorswithoutborders.org.