Coffee Tools Distributing is adding to its extensive list of suppliers with GROSCHE International, a social enterprise that uses coffee equipment to fund its Safe Water Project.
When Helmi Ansari’s wife Mehreen was travelling to Karachi, Pakistan in 2006, they almost lost their 10-month-old child to waterborne illness, shaking the family to the core. After this harrowing incident, the couple decided to found GROSCHE International in 2006, to provide access to better water quality. The company sells and distributes coffee, tea, and hydration equipment, with the profits used to fund the GROSCHE Safe Water Project.
“We established GROSCHE to fund safe drinking water systems for people in need. Nearly 900 million people globally lack access to safe drinking water. These people live in extreme poverty and in remote areas. Many people in these communities are surviving below the extreme poverty line of US$2 to US$3 (about AUD$3 to $4.50) a day. The only water they have to drink from is very unsafe. The GROSCHE Safe Water Project works to change that,” says Helmi, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer at GROSCHE International.
The Safe Water Project gives community members access to safe drinking water by installing Biosand water filters in remote and poor locations. The project currently impacts communities in South Sudan, Uganda, Malawi, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
“Biosand filters are Canadian designed water purification systems that work best in tropical climates. They can purify water using sand and a naturally forming healthy organic biolayer for a family of up to 10 people. They require no electricity or chemicals, no filter cartridges, and have no moving parts,” says Helmi.
“Lasting up to 30 years, a Biosand filter can transform the health and wellbeing of a family that lives in extreme poverty, allowing them the chance to improve their health and to go to school and to work, and improve their lives overall. We have seen them change the course of a family’s life without having to battle waterborne illnesses and diseases like cholera, typhoid, and carious stomach viruses and worms.”
Every GROSCHE coffee, tea, and hydration product sold provides over 50 days of safe water for people in need. In total, the multiple award-winning company has funded more than 275 million days of safe water for people in need, and has set a goal of reaching 300 million days by the end of 2022.
“Water seems like a simple necessity to many who live in communities with robust systems and can just drink from the tap, but many people don’t have access to basic safe drinking water,” says Helmi.
“Limited access to safe water is a global problem that GROSCHE International is striving to fix. As you fill your cup with coffee or tea, you can fill someone else’s cup with safe water.”
GROSCHE’s product selection ranges from its popular Milano stovetop espresso makers to French press coffee makers, smart tea makers, stainless steel water bottles and more.
GROSCHE products are focused on quality, functionality, being eco-friendly, and connecting to a bigger purpose.
“We give customers quality products at a competitive price and provide them with the opportunity to change a life. They are not only able to enjoy delicious coffee or tea but also provide safe drinking water to someone in need by choosing GROSCHE coffee, tea, and hydration equipment,” Helmi says.
One company that shares GROSCHE’s vision is Coffee Tools Distributing.
Company Director Curtis Arnold says GROSCHE connected with the company at Coffee Fest Chicago, an industry tradeshow which took place from 24 to 25 June 2022 in Chicago, United States.
“They were exhibiting across the aisle from AeroPress, who were also exhibiting at the event. After an initial conversation with the team, they discovered we were AeroPress’s Australian distributors, so they reached out to us and the partnership took off from there,” Curtis says.
Coffee Tools Distributing now supplies GROSCHE’s moka pots after receiving two seven-metre container shipments, which include stovetop espresso brewers, French press coffee makers, kettles, and water bottles.
“I’ve toured their warehouse and received samples from the company and I’m really happy and impressed with the quality of their equipment. They’ve had huge success in international markets, so hopefully that success translates to Australia. I think once they see the quality, the GROSCHE range will be highly regarded by Australian consumers,” Curtis says.
Coffee Tools Distributing is always on the lookout for new products. In the case of GROSCHE, Curtis says he was attracted to its backstory and to the company’s likeminded approach to sustainability.
“We share a similar morality of putting the environment first. [Coffee Tools Distributing is] grateful to contribute to the Safe Water Project by distributing [GROSCHE’s] products here in Australia, and we’re exploring how we can work together to have even more of a positive impact on the environment,” he says.
“It’s always a pleasure to do business with likeminded people. They tick all the boxes.”
Helmi says when he was introduced to the team at Coffee Tools Distributing, he immediately knew he would love working with them.
“Our partnership with Coffee Tools Distributing was born out of a shared desire to use ethical business to help make the world a better place. We feel business should be one of the major ways to help improve the world and prevent future generations from being saddled with a social and environmental footprint to deal with,” Helmi says.
“They share our business and social values and are also a member of [international organisation] 1% for the Planet. This common approach has made us natural partners. And when people think alike and have shared goals to help make a better world. It’s more like working with close friends than business peers.”
Helmi adds that as a B Corp certified and leading sustainable coffee brand, it is important to GROSCHE to work with distributors that share similar business, social and environmental values.
“Coffee Tools Distributing is a very well-respected distributor of premium coffee gear in Australia, and they are an ideal partner for us. We are excited to be working with them to bring GROSCHE to Australia from December 2022,” he says.
For more information, visit www.coffeetools.supply and www.grosche.ca
This article appears in the December 2022 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.