And just to be clear to those who came here searching for the «Defense of Marriage Act»: We are talking about the coffee roaster DOMA here.
So with that aside...
You obviously love yourself some DOMA, having voted them «Best Coffee Roaster» and all. One of the more interesting projects they are partaking in right now is called «Grow Ahead» which for all intents and purposes is an organization that financially backs coffee growers through crowd sourcing.
The basic idea is pretty simple: You become a part of the supply chain by making a $25+ loan which helps finance a container of coffee. When the container arrives in the US the lender can choose to have the (interest free and guaranteed) loan repaid, or reinvest it in another container.
It's a win-win situation, really. The farmers get the financial backing through the various Grow Ahead-partnered organizations buying their coffee, without the growers having to take up conventional loans.
That's a very broad overview: Grow Ahead has a boat load of good information on how it works down to the smallest detail.
And DOMA is, of course, part of it. The first container they partnered with Grow Ahead for is coming from Apecaform in Guatemala.
It's a cool project, and Grow Ahead is an interesting organization. Letting us be able to be part of funding the growers is a great thing in itself; having a sort of ownership of the coffee you drink makes it even better.
Happy farmers make happy coffee, and that benefits all of us. We encourage anyone who likes coffee to lend them some money.