The St. Drogo Foundation was inspired by a good friend, Sister Donna Ryan. During a conversation, she discussed St. Drogo, the patron saint of coffee, and we knew he would make the perfect symbol for our dedication to the countries of origin.

Besides paying prices that are generally four times more than the commercial coffee companies pay, we contribute a percentage for every pound of coffee we purchase and send it back to the communities where our coffee is grown. We build the St. Drogo fund; the communities join in with their own funds and "sweat equity."

We’ve been able to wire schools to the Internet, we’ve built a preschool, and we’ve made significant contributions to ongoing schools. Thus far, St. Drogo and The Roasterie have aided those in Brazil, Costa Rica and Columbia.

It also helps that Danny O’Neill is on the ground in these countries and communities on a regular basis, working with the people whose survival is directly tied to the coffee bean. They have witnessed the value of extraordinarily high-quality coffee though the high prices we pay. And we help them understand our market and the quality we expect for our customers.

St. Drogo gives our valued customers one more reason to feel good about doing business with The Roasterie. They can take pride that the coffee they’re drinking is also helping fund important humanitarian projects in the heart of coffee-growing communities around the world.

Brazil
We joined our friend Marcelo Vieira in bringing computers and a high-speed satellite Internet service to a school in Brazil that didn’t even have a phone prior. On the other side of our farm, we helped build a preschool for the children of the area. Some unintended consequences were that the women, who are primary caregivers in the home, were able to work outside the home. So, in many cases, household income doubled! There had also been a labor shortage in this area that was solved as a result of this preschool. Finally, some of the children were arriving hungry so we began serving hot food.

Costa Rica
We used our Brazilian experience as a model for other countries. The next project was two preschools in Costa Rica. They were already up and running, but very short on funds, supplies and resources of all kinds. We partnered with Deli Café and have begun a long-term strategic partnership the community put together. Once again, this was their project, their planning and their sweat equity.

Colombia
Over the years, the Colombian Coffee Federation has done a terrific job of helping develop infrastructure throughout coffee country in Colombia. So, when our coffee growers approached us there, they said their biggest need was a community center. They had good schools, health facilities, etc. Plans were drawn up and a community center is being constructed in partnership with our friends at Cafe Condor S.A.