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by Maureen Cureton
For a little coffee company from Saanichton, BC, the road less travelled led to a poor farming community in Antioquia, Colombia.
Everybody’s got to make a living, but how did Level Ground Trading Company end up in rural South America? The path for the four Canadian families who started Level Ground was very much directed by their goal of earning a good living, while making sure that the living was good for their trade partners as well.
The initial plan was to establish a business on Vancouver Island that would also help coffee farmers in far away Antioquia. That was 1997, and since that time co-founder Hugo Ciro and his visionary partners have taken a road that leads from the Colombian highlands, on to Peru and Bolivia and back to Colombia’s southern regions. Along the way, Level Ground’s Vancouver Island operations expanded, sales increased and the product mix became increasingly diversified.
But there’s more. Level Ground has taken a higher path, one that integrates social and environmental responsibility into every aspect of business.
By importing coffee from a cooperative of small-scale farmers in Colombia, Level Ground helps them improve their standard of living and earn enough money to pay for their children’s schooling. Dealing directly with the farmers’ co-op leaves out the mega corporations and the plantation-style production that has caused environmental and social devastation in South America. In many communities in the South, agri-business razes vast tracts of land for monoculture operations and farm workers receive only meagre wages while suffering from the health effects of exposure to chemical pesticides.
In addition to their commitment to paying fair wages to the farmers, Level Ground is helping to strengthen the community and protect the environment. The company established a foundation called Famicafé, which is a registered non-profit organization in Colombia that provides funding and hands-on support for education, job creation and organic farming initiatives. In 2004 alone, the foundation paid for books, tuition and uniforms for more than 185 students. This is not charity; this is socially responsible business and it’s good business to support the communities in which you operate. Without access to reasonable wages, many farm families in Latin America are abandoning the land and migrating to the cities to find work. Level Ground is helping families stay in their communities, maintain their traditional livelihoods and improve their quality of life. Along the way, Level Ground is importing great coffee.
While every street corner in Vancouver seems to be a testimony to the increasing commerce for java, the world-wide coffee market fluctuates wildly. Small-scale coffee growers and small businesses have no control over the price of this commodity, but they are particularly vulnerable to the economic challenges of these fluctuations. Level Ground realized that the success of its business, as well as the livelihood of its partners in Colombia, relied too much on these larger market forces. So in 2001, Level Ground donated funds to the Antioquia farm community for the purchase of a commercial food dehydrator. Additionallly, it sponsored training in food drying techniques. Today, the fruit trees that help shade the coffee crop are another source of revenue for the Colombian families and Level Ground has diversified its product line to include packaged dried fruit. In addition to increasing household incomes for the farmers, this new venture provides employment to displaced women who work in the fruit drying business. Employees receive fair wages, health benefits and school tuition for their children.
Level Ground’s leadership in ethical business does not stop there. Its commitment to environmental and social responsibility has led it to other South American countries as well. In Bolivia, Level Ground is partnering with certified organic coffee farmers and in Peru it is working with a fair-trade certified cooperative. In southern Colombia, it is supporting small-scale sugarcane farmers, who are using environmentally friendly methods to grow premium sugarcane.
Level Ground Trading Company may be taking the road less travelled, but it is not alone. More and more companies are recognizing the benefits of ethical business and enjoying the rewards associated with social and environmental responsibility. Perhaps this is hard to believe when Conrad Black’s Hollinger scandals, Enron, Monsanto suing farmers, and other bleak stories dominate the business media. Yet, there is good news too about companies blazing new trails through their commitment to ethical business. Each year in British Columbia, the Ethics in Action Awards generate some of that good news by honouring leaders in community care, environmental excellence, or overall leadership in ethical business.
Level Ground was a 2003 Ethics in Action recipient. At this year’s awards, 28 finalists will vie for top honours. Award nominees come from large and small companies and a wide range of industry sectors. Want to hear some good news? Join business leaders from Happy Planet, QLT Inc., Nic’s Garage, Harrop Procter Community Coop, Nat’s Pizza, Westport Innovations, Novex Couriers, Electronic Arts and other nominees as they vie for the 2004 Ethics in Action Awards.
The awards take place October 21 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver. www.ethicsinaction.com. Join past winners and this year’s finalists for an evening of inspiring stories and great food. The Fairmont, a past Ethics in Action winner for environmental excellence, will feature a fine dining experience organic style. This year’s award winners will share their stories in a talk-show style event, hosted by BCTV news anchor, Sophie Lui.
Writer Maureen Cureton is a business consultant who also teaches international business at Royal Roads University and sustainable business management at Langara College.
Editor’s note: In 2001, Common Ground magazine received the Ethics in Action award for on-going social responsibility in business. |
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