Goshen College creates ‘Menno’s Best’ coffee as convention fundraiser for youth groups

In an effort to help Mennonite youth groups raise money to attend the 2015 Mennonite convention in Kansas City, Goshen College has developed a fundraising opportunity through sales of organic, direct-trade coffee.

Youth groups will have the opportunity to sell bags of “Menno’s Best” organic coffee, which is grown by small-scale farmers that Goshen College students have worked with during the college’s Study-Service Term (SST) in Peru’s mountainous Chanchamayo Province.

“It was fun to be involved in an organization that saw the importance of sustainable and organic products,” said Sara Alvarez, a 2012 graduate who served at Highlands Coffee in Chanchamayo during her experience on SST. “I got to interact with interesting people who cared about treating people and the earth fairly.”

The coffee beans are harvested and shipped directly to Goshen, Indiana, where they are roasted locally and shipped from the college’s student-run coffee shop, Java Junction.

Five dollars from each $12 bag will go directly to youth groups. Additionally, one dollar will go toward Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Mission Network. The rest of the funds will go to pay fair prices for the coffee beans, shipping, roasting and packaging. When bags are delivered, they will be personalized with a “blend” label specific to each church youth group.

Groups that sign up for the fundraiser will be entered into a competition and will receive a marketing starter kit. This limited-time only fundraiser and product will be available through mid-June 2015.

Youth groups can learn more and sign up to participate at mennosbest.org, where individuals can also make purchases directly.