Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a nonprofit-owned Certified B Corp™ and subsidiary of Grace Farms Foundation, today announced the launch of a relief effort for Sumatra Resilience & Rebuilding, an urgent humanitarian initiative supporting the Ketiara Cooperative, a Fairtrade-certified, women-led coffee farming collective in the Gayo Highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Cyclone Senyar, a rare and destructive tropical cyclone, triggered catastrophic mudslides across northern Sumatra, causing the worst natural disaster to Sumatra since the tsunami of 2004. Many homes were destroyed, farms endured severe damage, and two vital bridges were washed away, isolating the city of Takengon and surrounding areas. The disaster severed access to food, clean water, electricity, and communication. The Ketiara Cooperative, led by founder and chairwoman Ibu Rahmah, is one of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee’s longest and most trusted sourcing partners, with more than 1,700 farmers, including 1,100 women.
A rare and destructive tropical cyclone, triggered catastrophic mudslides across northern Sumatra, causing the worst natural disaster to Sumatra since the tsunami of 2004. Many homes were destroyed and farms endured severe damage.
In response to the crisis, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has mobilized immediate humanitarian support, enabling the delivery of generators, Starlink satellite communication devices, rice, and essential food supplies by air to the most isolated communities.
Grace Farms Tea & Coffee has mobilized immediate humanitarian support, enabling the delivery of generators, as seen in the back of the truck, along with other supplies.
“The farmers of Ketiara are at the heart of our mission,” said Adam Thatcher, CEO of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee. “Our relationship with Ibu Rahmah and her cooperative goes far beyond sourcing coffee. In moments like this, it is our responsibility to stand with them as partners and as friends.”
On a prior visit, Adam Thatcher, CEO of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, with the farmers of Ketiara. (Photo by Adam Thatcher)
To further support these efforts, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee will contribute $5 from every bag of its Single-Origin Indonesian coffee sold toward ongoing recovery and rebuilding initiatives in the region. This purchase-based contribution helps provide:
- Power generation equipmentfor villages without electricity
- Satellite communication accessto reconnect isolated communities
- Emergency food suppliesfor impacted farming families
- Long-term rebuilding support guided by local leadership.
Grace Farms Foundation, the parent organization of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, is bolstering this humanitarian response by providing additional support. “Grace Farms exists to foster community, pursue justice, and extend compassion. In moments like this, we have the responsibility and the ability to act quickly to support our partners around the world,” said Sharon Prince, Founder and CEO of Grace Farms Foundation and Co-Founder of Grace Farms Tea & Coffee. “Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is an invitation for anyone to join this humanitarian work, simply by enjoying an exceptional cup of coffee that directly supports the people who grow it.”
Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is also coordinating closely with Fairtrade America and its producer support arm in the Asia-Pacific region, together mobilizing additional support for impacted farming communities across Sumatra, including the Ketiara Cooperative.
We are deeply saddened by what Cyclone Senyar has done. The scale and intensity of destruction completely upended daily life for farming communities across Indonesia and Sri Lanka,” said Amanda Archila, Executive Director, Fairtrade America. “Our colleagues in the region are mobilizing financial support via their Climate Disaster Risk & Resilience Fund to meet Fairtrade farming communities’ immediate needs, while still grappling with communications challenges and assessing long-term impacts. We’re hopeful it will be possible in time to help replant crops, rebuild infrastructure, and move forward with climate-smart agriculture practices that foster long-term resilience, but right now we’re focused on supporting farmers’ and their families’ most human needs.”
This emergency relief effort in Sumatra builds on Grace Farms Foundation’s history of rapid response during crises, including its large-scale COVID-19 PPE and food insecurity efforts. Today, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee carries that spirit forward, channeling its mission-driven business model to support global partners in moments of urgent need.
More information about the Grace Farms Tea & Coffee’s relief efforts and opportunities to support through product purchases can be found at sharegracefarms.com.
About Grace Farms Tea & Coffee
Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is a nonprofit-owned Certified B Corp™ dedicated to ethical and sustainable sourcing. Through teas and coffees that give back 100% of profits to support Design for Freedom™, Grace Farms Tea & Coffee invites customers to experience the mission of Grace Farms Foundation—advancing freedom, dignity, and ethical supply chains worldwide.
About Grace Farms Foundation
Grace Farms Foundation is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, Connecticut, working to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in local and global communities. The Foundation leads the Design for Freedom™ movement, a groundbreaking initiative to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.
About Fairtrade America and Fairtrade’s Network of Asia-Pacific Producers (NAPP)
Fairtrade America works to rebalance trade, making it a system rooted in partnership and mutual respect rather than exploitation. It’s about businesses, shoppers, farmers and workers all working together so we can all experience the benefits of trade. Fairtrade America is the U.S. branch of Fairtrade International, the original and global leader in fair trade certification with more than 30 years of experience working for fair trading practices in more than 60 countries across the globe. A non-profit 501(c)3 organization, Fairtrade America is part of the world’s largest and most recognized fair trade certification program —part of a global movement for change. Learn more at Fairtrade.net and by connecting with Fairtrade America on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Fairtrade strengthens the position of farmers and workers in the value chain by offering an alternative approach to trade. It supports producers in securing better markets, contributing to greater sustainable development in Asia Pacific region under Fairtrade – Network of Asia and Pacific Producers (NAPP). Fairtrade NAPP is a member of Fairtrade International. Fairtrade NAPP certifies farmers and workers across the Asia Pacific region. The producers share ownership of the Fairtrade system and have an equal voice in decision making. As a Producer Network, NAPP ensures their voice is heard in the system.
