A Cup of Coffee with DiCaprio, Anyone? Well… Sort of
Not shy about his position on environmental and humanitarian causes, award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has shown his support for various projects including: the film “The 11th Hour,” which he narrated and produced; working with two dozen displaced children in an orphanage in Maputo, Mozambique; sending $1,000,000 in relief funds to aid victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti; and he has made generous donations to environmental organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Once again, DiCaprio’s putting his support into a very worthy cause. This time though, it’s coffee? Partnering with the acclaimed coffee roaster, La Colombe Torrefaction, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s high-end line of coffee, called LYON, will donate one hundred percent of profits to environmental charities supporting sustainable coffee production and fair wages for the more than 100 million people around the world who depend on coffee as a source of income.
“I am thrilled to be a part of this new project with La Colombe that will help aid the shift to a truly sustainable future for the planet and its inhabitants,” said DiCaprio in a statement, “Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.”
LYON is a medium light roast blend of beans sourced from Brazil, Peru, Haiti and Ethiopia through coffee farming projects including a rare heirloom bean directly from farmers in Haiti working to improve sustainable farming methods in the region and the only directly sourced coffee from Ethiopia wild-harvested in the Djimma national reserve. The Brazilian beans come by way of a 1,300-acre farm dedicated to Sustainable Production Principles, as well as the ecological preservation of the Brazilian Rainforest. And the Peruvian beans arrive via a co-op that’s noted for its genuinely active application of the Sustainable Production Principles and its dedication to assisting neighboring farms working with organic, earth friendly and sustainable farming. The blend has an overtly smooth finish, not too sweet, and full of fruity notes and is available in stores nationwide including La Colombe’s cafes, Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods Markets.
According to Todd Carmichael, CEO and Co-Founder of La Colombe, “The impact we are having in Haiti alone, just to bring this coffee to market, has changed the lives of thousands of peasant farmers, as well as the landscape of the country.”
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Image: Leonardo Dicaprio
