County Durham Community Foundation

A £1million campaign to fight poverty in the North East is toasting Durham Coffee after the company committed to donating 20% of proceeds from the sale of a dedicated single origin coffee.

The Sacriston-based company has released a ‘Poverty Hurts’ coffee, named after the County Durham Community Foundation initiative which its sale supports.

Durham Coffee is owned and managed by father and daughter team, Carina and Bernhard Nausner. The pair wanted to help raise money to support the most vulnerable in their local community and settled on Poverty Hurts, which tackles the causes and consequences of poverty, as their chosen cause.

Carina explained: “At its heart, Durham Coffee is a local company, deeply connected to its community. We wanted to help Poverty Hurts because of its approach to working with hyper-local projects which support those furthest from government support who can easily fall through the cracks. This includes Sacristan Youth Project, which is right on our doorstep, so we’ll be able to see the impact our fundraising has.”

Dr Michelle Cooper MBE, chief executive of the County Durham Community Foundation, an independent grant-making charity connecting local donors to community projects, said: “Poverty Hurts is raising £1million to help overcome the causes and consequences across the North East and relies on the generosity of local people, and businesses like Durham Coffee, to be able to help those most in need.

“We are delighted to have the support of a brilliant ethical business like Durham Coffee. I know that giving away 20% of a sale is a substantial gesture from a small family run business and is testament not only to their ethos as a business, but also that they can see how our approach to supporting charities. The money raised will go directly to charities which are embedded within local communities and delivering the best social value. I can also attest that the Poverty Hurts coffee is truly delicious!”

Each year, Durham Coffee chooses two or three of its limited-edition coffees to be its charity coffee; this year it has chosen a single origin bean from Honduras. Both father and daughter are committed to their coffee and since setting up their roasting business in 2020 have invested in state-of-the-art air roasting machinery to produce the highest quality coffee. The company sources only from sustainable growers and is rightly proud of its ethical ethos and practices.

Carina continued: “Our Honduran coffee is sustainable and ethically sourced and comes from an indigenous village that has community at its very heart. They love the land where they grow their coffee, and the profits help sustain their own families and community. So, with the Poverty Hurts coffee, we are helping combat poverty both at home and abroad.”

The County Durham Community Foundation is working hard to raise £1 million in donations for its Poverty Hurts campaign to benefit groups and individuals who are struggling. This year alone, the charity has provided groups and individuals with grants worth more than £4.3 million.

Find out more about County Durham Community Foundation’s work to enrich local lives at cdcf.org.uk.

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF COUNTY DURHAM COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

CONTACT: Marie Carter-Robb, marie@mccommunications.co.uk or 07760 77694.

NOTES TO EDITORS

https://www.cdcf.org.uk

County Durham Community Foundation works with local communities to fund projects that enrich lives and fight poverty. Founded 27 years ago, the Foundation connects people who love to give with local causes that really matter.