Just how far would you walk for a cup of coffee?
Community Bean Coffee’s founder, Nathan Stone, has been walking for 10 days on a human-sized hamster wheel to try and fund his new business venture – a sustainable coffee company.
His 10 days of walking has not been in vain…he has actually sold just over $7000 worth of coffee, which leaves him $23,000 short of his original money-raising goal.
“As I walk, the wheel grinds coffee. I knew it was going to be a slow grind, but it is a grind worth doing,” he says.
“Sustainability is an underrated topic in Australia. There is a passionate group of advocates that shout it from roof tops but apart from that… does anyone really care?
“Cafes and restaurants produce 250,000 tonnes of waste that end up in landfill annually and 60-80% of that could be diverted to compost.
“If I can use the hamster wheel campaign to launch Community Bean and to encourage the hospitality industry and individuals to divert their coffee grounds and food scraps from landfill into compost, I will consider it a success,” Nathan says.
Nathan has been walking on the wheel for more than 160 hours and living on it for 240 – eating, sleeping and working – and he won’t stop until he meets his business goal on crowd-funding site, Indiegogo.
The whole point behind the hamster wheel campaign is to pre-sell enough coffee to bulk purchase the home compostable bags and ethically-sourced coffee.
Community Bean’s roasting partner, Andrew Gross, is known as the Australian godfather of the coffee industry with 40 years’ experience. He brings a foundation of coffee knowledge and a consistency in roasting that new coffee brands can only dream of.
As a social enterprise, Community Coffee Bean will also donate $2 from every sale to three charities – Food Bank, Take 3 for the Sea and Fair Game. To support Nathan’s Indiegogo campaign, visit www.communitybean.com.au
