BeanScene Magazine

After 25 years of working in IT, Anthony Callanan found himself waking up to a job that didn’t inspire him anymore. One day he asked himself the question: What can I do to make a difference in the world?

His answer came in the form of coffee. Anthony had always been interested in the beverage that kick-started his day. He did a lot of on-line research and learned that not only was Ethiopia the origin of coffee, but that Ethiopian communities have the most restricted access to clean drinking water in Africa. With that in mind, Anthony brainstormed ideas that would drive a business and support a community in need and found a way to combine his two passions: coffee and access to clean drinking water for the developing world. “It seemed a fair exchange, we get good coffee and the Ethiopian communities get good water, a sort of virtuous cycle,” Anthony says.

In January this year, Anthony started a business that sells coffee and generates ongoing funds for organisations that provide better water access for African communities.

Anthony and his wife, Pauline, run the business together. “We saw that providing safe drinking water could truly make transformational differences to communities in so many ways; to their health, education and wealth,” he says.

Clearwater Coffee sells coffee beans online and offers bundles of beans and fully maintained coffee machines to businesses. The aim of the business is to deliver 5 per cent of all Clearwater Coffee revenue to the cause of clean drinking water, through WellWishers Ethiopia and Charity: water, organisations that make a difference by delivering safe drinking water to communities in need.
WellWishers Ethiopia is an Australian organisation that began in 1986. They collect funds and travel to Ethiopia, delivering a Hand-Dug Water Wells program in the northern province of Tigray. Charity: water is based in the United States and also works in Ethiopia with communities on safe drinking water projects.

“Water is so important,” Anthony says. “It is life-giving in so many ways. What we’re doing is raising the issue of water access in Ethiopia and increasing awareness.” Anthony says it wasn’t until he saw reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that he realised how dire the current drought situation in northeast Africa is. “It’s not something I was aware of before I started this, but if I can put that awareness on people’s radar, then it’s a win-win,” he says.

The need for water in Ethiopia is severe. According to the WHO, only 42 per cent of the population has access to an improved water supply. In rural areas, this number drops even further.

Anthony explains that many people in impoverished Ethiopian communities walk for six hours each day to collect water that is unprotected, contaminated and shared by animals. So often, drinking this polluted water leads to illness or infection that prevents people in the communities from attending school, getting an education and working to support their families.

A report by Charity: water has found Africans spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water, many of them are women and children. By establishing safe, accessible water in nearby villages, such a simple concept can change the lives of thousands with the opportunity to build a better future.

It’s not just the physical wellbeing of African communities that has been hit hard by the lack of clean water. The overall economic loss due to a lack of safe water and sanitation in Africa is $28 billion, or about five per cent of Gross Domestic Product, as reported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Since 2002, WellWishers has raised funds to build over 300 water wells in Ethiopia, helping over 140,000 people. Instead of walking for hours to access contaminated water, communities now collect clean water just minutes away.

Clearwater Coffee has set a goal to reach $5000 in revenue contributions, which is enough to provide a community of 250 people with clean water. “Bit by bit we’re making a difference,” Anthony says. “Our current aim is to get enough money to build a well or cap a spring with a separate trough for animals to drink from,” he says. “Without clean water people are stuck in poverty. If we change just one thing, then they can continue their enterprises, get educated and build a livelihood.”

According to the WHO, about 1.1 billion people globally do not have access to clean drinking water. Diseases from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. And, about 2 million people die every year due to diarrhoeal diseases from unsafe water; the vast majority children less than five years old.

Many of these diseases are preventable. The United Nations predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply.

On a mission to make a difference, Clearwater Coffee supplies businesses with their Ethiopian Fairtrade coffee called Harrar Acqua, roasted by a local Melbourne roaster. Anthony describes the blend as “full-flavoured” with hints of chocolate and a fruity aroma when used as an espresso.

Asked whether the initiative of Clearwater Coffee is better than desiging networks in his former IT job, Anthony says: “It’s harder, but more rewarding.” Acknowledging that Clearwater Coffee is a small business, Anthony notes the initial start-up has been challenging. “I didn’t anticipate how hard it would be to generate business and get people interested,” he says. Clearwater Coffee targets businesses with an active corporate and social responsibility initiative, with the opportunity to use the coffee in their offices and make a difference to the wider community.

Ten months in, Anthony already has customers Australia-wide and says the coffee is being well received. “It’s not just coffee for the cause, it’s really good coffee,” he says. Selling his coffee at $36 a kilo directly via the Clearwater Coffee online shop, Anthony says the coffee is no more expensive than other brands with a similar offering, and the quality speaks for itself. “From a price perspective, we’re not as cheap as some, but we don’t want to be,” he says. “Everyone loves it and once they’ve tried our coffee, they don’t want to go back to anything else. Everyone I’ve spoken to says what a great idea this is and it makes you feel good because you’re helping people at the same time.”

With ambitions to one day visit Africa to explore the coffee growing regions of Ethiopia, and see first-hand the results of his fundraising initiative, Anthony admits there’s still a lot of hard work ahead.
“We’re still looking to grow the business and continue to get it properly on its feet and increase what we can do for Ethiopia,” he says. “I’m loving it, it’s challenging but it’s taken me out of my comfort zone.