Coffee is the US’s largest food import and second overall import (after oil). With 20 million families in 50 countries working in coffee cultivation, and about 11 million hectares of farmland dedicated to coffee, the way in which coffee is grown has a huge impact on both workers and the environment. Come to the Holistic Moms Network meeting to hear first-hand from Guillermo and Cathy Velasquez, owners of Velasquez Family Coffee. In 2001, they started Velasquez Family Coffee from their home in St. Paul to support Guillermo’s coffee-growing family in Honduras. They’ll share photos and video from the beautiful cloud forest where the farm is located, and discuss how coffee is grown and processed, the benefits of shade-grown and other environmentally-friendly farming methods, and the advantages of fair trade for the coffee farmer and the coffee drinker. Samples of Velasquez Family Coffee will be available. Meeting is free and open to the public.
Holistic Moms Network is a non-profit national organization that connects people who are passionate about holistic health and green living. The Twin Cities Chapter holds monthly meetings the third Wed of each month, 7-9 pm, in the Think Bank Community Room, 3655 Hazelton Rd., Edina, MN 55435. No matter where you are on your parenting or holistic journey, you are welcome! Children are welcome. For more info, e-mail tcholisticmoms@gmail.com or visit http://twincitiesmn.holisticmoms.org or www.facebook.com/HMNTwinCitiesMN