Bill Fishbein, a coffee roaster from Providence, R.I., USA, founded Coffee Kids in 1988. Fishbein has been working in the specialty coffee industry since 1977 when it was just beginning to make an impact in the United States.
While traveling to Guatemala in 1988, he witnessed the poverty faced by those producing coffee throughout the world. Over 125 million people around the world are completely dependent on the annual coffee harvest as their only source of income.
Fishbein was shocked by the poverty, but overwhelmed by the generosity and spirit of the people forming the base of the coffee industry.
Upon his return home, Fishbein began canvassing fellow coffee roasters and was overwhelmed by the support. Numerous roasters were confronting the same realities at the roots of the industry and looking for an outlet to support positive change.
Since then, Coffee Kids has raised and distributed over $4 million in funds to help coffee-farming families in their efforts to improve the quality of their lives.
