LUCY OFFERS LEG UP Naming a coffee-based social enterprise after a prosthetic leg may seem a little unusual, but for the founding members of The Lucy Foundation, it makes perfect sense. Co-founder Robbie Francis was INNOVATION www.foodtechnology.co.nz 5 families in Mexico, particularly those with disabled family members, the foundation exports coffee back to New Zealand as part of an inclusive and sustainable supply chain from the coffee seedling right through to the cup. Pluma Hidalgo, where the coffee beans are grown, is in Oaxaca – the second poorest state in Mexico where 76% of the population live in extreme poverty, Francis says. “The majority of our farmers depend on income from coffee to live,” she says. “The Lucy Foundation not only provides families with sustainable income to elevate them out of poverty, we work directly with the community to develop and foster business opportunities.” Last year, nearly $25,000 was raised through PledgeMe to finance the first phase, which included more than 30 agricultural workshops with Mexican families, 6000 litres of born with a physical disability and learned to walk on an artificial leg that became familiarly known as ‘Lucy Leg’. Born into a world of privilege and opportunity, Francis realised her life could have been vastly different after working in 2013 as a disability rights monitor in some of the darkest places on earth. So she mustered together a group of likeminded friends, pinpointed Mexican coffee growers and disabled New Zealanders as the foundation’s first project, stole her prosthetic leg’s name and threw herself headfirst into a unique business model…a group of young people committed to developing inclusive, ethical and sustainable business with a focus on meaningful employment for people with disabilities. When the first batch of Pluma coffee and cascara (coffee) tea hit the shelves in New Zealand late last year, only Francis and her colleagues understood the hard work and commitment that had gone behind each and every packet. “This project would not be possible without the support of New Zealand organisations and the community,” she says. “This coffee is not just coffee… it is proof that through coffee, we can create inclusive and accessible trade.” Working with coffee-farming bio-fertiliser, 6000 litres of insect and disease treatment, a local barista training programme (also delivered in sign language), bee hives set up to increase coffee quantity and as additional income for families, and work for disabled people. A second ongoing PledgeMe campaign will help establish more workshops to increase the quality and yield, fund ongoing expansion costs and develop coffee tours. Francis says disabled Kiwis are twice as likely to be unemployed in New Zealand, and earn only half the average weekly income of non-disabled New Zealanders. “Disabled people also have less access to services, and face societal barriers and discrimination.” Primarily driven by volunteers, the foundation’s operational budget this year is $65,000, and the aim is to increase this by $100,000 over the next three years. “What we love about this project is that at all stages of production, there are opportunities for people with different abilities to play a key role in the end-to-end supply chain of coffee,” Francis – who studies at the University of Otago’s National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies - says. “At the heart of this project is community. Changing perceptions requires meaningful and inclusive community interactions.” www.thelucyfoundation.com
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