When Coffee Brews Change

With every cup, you can drink coffee and do good. That was Jonathan Golden’s plan when he founded Land of a Thousand Hills in 2005 as an initiative to support the people of Rwanda after the 1994 genocide devestated the small African nation.

Golden, an ordained minister, had become burdened for the people of Rwanda and was inspired by the signs of forgiveness and healing he saw happening among them. He wanted to find a way for his North American church plant to come alongside the Rwandan people and support them socially, economically and spiritually.

“Coffee was the answer,” he says. “Through this model, we bless and create value in their work and demonstrate the gospel of grace and reconciliation.”

Partnering with coffee-growing villages around the world is transforming lives.

“For us, coffee is a highway of trade into communities to make sustainable change that begins by providing farmers with a fair living wage,” Golden says. “Through our community trade model, we’re able to invest in villages by building a school [and] providing food, orphan care and coffee-production training.”

Seven years after its inception, Land of a Thousand Hills now helps communities in Rwanda, Haiti and Thailand, providing a living wage for more than 10,000 farmers and their families. Golden and his team continue to partner with people and churches who commit to brewing good coffee in order to fuel even more good work.

Golden says it’s easy to do good—“Especially when it [involves] good coffee.”