Spring Forward/Ripple Effect — Natural Products/Sustainability + Guatemala Coffee Excursion

Hopefully, you’ve adjusted to Daylight Saving Time a week ago -- just in time to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day! As we Spring Forward, and continue to work our way around the Sun, we hope everyone enjoyed the brief period when anyone and everyone can be Irish for a day.

The Natural Products Expo West is always an interesting show that, this year, attracted 86,000+ attendees and in Anaheim. There are SO many new natural products being rolled out, we’re excited to see the market momentum growing. Organic, Gluten-free, and Non-GMO products with an eye toward sustainability and the ripple effect of forward-thinking.

Gravity + Vibration + Logic:

Our International Sales Manager, Jairo Blanco, ventured down to Guatemala recently to visit some coffee roasters who own Logical Machines as well as to meet prospective customers. “The Perfect Roasted Coffee Filling Machine” is a big hit in Guatemala. Jairo was assisted in his endeavors by Rafa Ventura of Finca Rabanales. Rafa and his family have owned their coffee plantation and estate since 1884 -- for five generations -- and proudly invited nearby coffee growers and roasters to come by to meet Señor Blanco and to see how the Logical Machines’ weigh+fill scale systems can improve their packaging processes.

Jairo came back from his Guatemala experience energized with a lot of wonderful anecdotes about the beautiful countryside, the warm and inviting people, and the excellent coffee. His interactions with, and introductions by, Rafa Ventura of Finca Rabanales, speak to the concept of being connected with the right people. Additionally, Jairo’s introduction to Anacafé, Asociacion Nacional del Café, will go a long way toward building more sustainable relationships in the Guatemalan coffee community. It's all based on the concept of "The actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects".

In fact, since 1994, Anacafé has been collecting funds for Funcafé -- the Guatemalan Coffee Foundation for Rural Development. Funcafé works to improve the levels of human development of the rural population, increasing coverage and quality in the social services for health, education, food security, and nutrition to build a more competitive economic activity. Some amazing facts about Funcafé and the support provided by its three pillars:

1) Education -- 15,604 Students Supported
2) Food Security & Nutrition -- 26,506 Families Supported
3) Health Services -- 66,304 Individuals Supported via 16 health centers

Additionally, and separately, KinderCoffee is a program that was created in collaboration with Funcafé in 2012. The program serves two specific purposes:

* Preventing child labor
* Preparing children to start, and progress throughout, the academic year

As part of Rabanales' corporate social responsibility, they decided to join the KinderCoffee program in 2016. The 2018/2019 crop has been their third year running the program successfully. The families who have participated in the program have been extremely satisfied with the results, especially after seeing the excitement of the children every morning on their way to the classroom.

The coffee community in Guatemala, like other Central & South American coffee communities, is a source of sustainability for many families. The economic ripple effect is fully evident. We're proud to think that, for instance, the use of our machines might have a positive effect in the form of Rafa & Co. packaging and selling more roasted coffee...which can lead to improved circumstances for the workers...possibly allowing the company to hire more people from the surrounding area...which can enhance Finca Rabanales' current efforts with local schools. You know, the ripple effect.

Logical Q & A:

Q: “What’s your definition of sustainability?”
A: In our minds, sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generations, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s only logical.

Factoids: Sustainability

• In recent research by Nielsen, Sustainability is shown to be a global trend that impacts Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) purchasing decisions. For instance:
  • The majority (73%) of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment
  • Almost half (41%) of consumers from around the world say that they’re highly willing to pay more for CPG products that contain all-natural or organic ingredients

• Further to the trends, Nielsen states that successful CPG innovations launched over the past five years show examples of where brands have found opportunity at the intersection of health and wellness and sustainability, Nielsen Insights shows. These include products that are:
  • Relevant (minimum sales achieved in Year 1)
  • Enduring (achieved at least 90% of Year 1 sales in Year 2)
  • Distinct (Delivered a new value proposition to the market)

These CPG products fall into the following categories:

• Natural - 100% Real
• Non-GMO - Now Artificial Ingredients / Preservatives
• Antibiotic-Free
• Recyclable / Less Packaging
• Without Parabens / Sulfates

National [fill-in-the-blank] Day:

• 11 March = National Johnny Appleseed Day
• 14 March = National Potato Chip Day Day
• 18 March = National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day

And, for the duration of March, it’s National Flour Month, Noodle Month, and Peanut Month

Logical Flow Videos:

Logical Machines’ YouTube Coffee & Tea video playlist

Logical Quote of the Week:

• “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." -- Dalai Lama