last updated: January 2020

The prototype:
https://beanplanet.wixsite.com/kabebook

The goal of kabebook was to:
make conscious consumerism easy— starting with coffee.

Coffee has a profound role in global environmental and social sustainability:
Who you buy coffee from is quite symbolic of your values. If you look at how the coffee trade began and how coffee has evolved into one of the most ubiquitous beverages in our lives, you will learn a lot about how the world works. Its livelihood is dependent on the work of 25+ million farmers across 50+ countries, who are largely migrant workers.

How kabebook would work:
1/ Users have a directory of coffee shops that are locally-owned and eco-conscious
2/ These coffee shops are rated on their sustainability (fair labor, environmental friendliness, and transparency)
3/ Conscious consumers support conscious businesses supporting conscious industry

Why I did not build this beyond a prototype:
Demand isn’t great enough for this to be a viable business. Conscious consumerism around coffee exists in small numbers at the individual level.

Is coffee and sustainability over?
Heck no!

1. I work with the very first specialty roaster to be carbon-neutral, Zero Carbon Coffee. If you’re a business owner looking for a more eco-friendly sourced bean, please reach out!
   
2. While conscious coffee buying at the individual level is small, many businesses care an awful lot about their footprint, for both selfish and altruistic reasons. I’m working on connecting buyers and sellers who are trying to reduce their carbon footprint and providing GHG reporting, as this is what all governing bodies will be working on across public and private sectors.
   
   Check out https://www.cuppingand.com/ for hands-on sustainability events.