Interview with Tim Hortons Director

Learn what Tim Hortons is doing to make a true difference in the developing countries that produce our coffee. I had the pleasure recently of speaking with Tim Faveri, Tim Hortons Director of Sustainability and Responsibility.Tim Hortons is a Canada-based coffee company and the country's largest food service operator, surpassing even McDonald's.  Independent marketing firm Interbrand ranks it as the country's tenth most valuable brand across all industries.  The company commands around 60% of the Canadian coffee market and if that doesn't impress, Starbucks is second with less than 10% share.  If you live in Canada, you don't need any of this explanation.  If you live in some parts of the US, you're starting to see them crop up.I recently saw the following TV commercial for Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership and I wanted to know more.  Only recently have I become aware of the crisis plaguing coffee farmers in the world today.  I consider it a responsibility while enjoying good coffee to learn what else I need to know and what I can do to help.  Tim Faveri had just completed a tour of the Partnership's work in Central America, so my timing was good.The Coffee Partnership was formed between Tim Hortons and the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Foundation (HRNS).  The HRNS was founded to bring together private sector partners, public sector partners and government to contribute to the sustainability of the coffee sectors of growing countries.  Tim Faveri explained that the Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership is very much in line with Tim Hortons' "Making a True Difference" framework which up to that point had focused on giving back to local communities in Canada.  It made sense to turn focus to the producing regions and give back directly.This is a very different approach from other large coffee companies who have instead used vehicles like Fair Trade to make sure farmers receive a fair price for their coffee and money is allocated to development projects in the growing regions.  Instead, Tim Hortons went to the source of the problem to provide direct aid.  Any aid program is good, whether certified or not, but the challenge for Tim Hortons is making sure people understand their unique approach to helping solve this problem.  You won't find the Fair Trade logo slapped on their coffee cups, but they are helping in the most grassroots way.For five years, Tim Hortons has been setting up three-year projects of different kinds.  The HRNS is already installed in these growing regions with a successful model of helping coffee farmers and the community in general.  In Guatemala for example, public education is provided up to third grade.  Tim Hortons was able to provide resources for a community to extend education to sixth grade.I asked Tim Faveri who decides what specific help is needed most by the community.  He relayed a story from his most recent trip.  On one farm he visited, a family of five people live in a space roughly the size of Tim's office and off of the equivalent of $2,000 of income for the family for the year.  Tim explains that in an example like this, basic amenities like functioning sanitation can be the first priority before other considerations like education and improvement in farming practices.  It depends on the needs of the specific farmer.  For each project, Partnership organizers agree on the key performance indicators that will be used to measure the project's success.  In some cases, aid goes to support equality in the area by subsidizing farms owned by women.When you drink Tim Hortons coffee, you can feel good about the fact that the company is giving back in meaningful ways to the coffee farmers in the areas where they source their coffee.  Tim Faveri has seen firsthand the help they need and having once run his own sustainability practice, has real passion to give back to these communities.  It's good that we have coffee certifications, but unique and perhaps even more effective that a coffee giant like Tim Hortons goes right to the source with real grassroots support for the people and communities that give us the coffee we drink.Learn more about the Tim Hortons Coffee Partnership.Learn more about the Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung Foundation.