Last week, David Lalonde of Rabbit Hole Roasters in Montreal, Canada, launched a wide-sweeping, worldwide fundraiser informally called Coffee People for Palestine, inviting members of the coffee industry to raise money and awareness for the continued genocide of Gaza.
“I hope that this initiative, in addition to raising much-needed money (and awareness), could be a catalyst for sustained collective action within the specialty coffee sector,” said Lalonde.
Folks are invited to either donate directly to the Sameer Project, a “donations-based aid initiative, led by Palestinians in the diaspora, working to supply emergency shelter and aid to displaced families in Gaza,” according to the Sameer Project Instagram account, or to start their own fundraisers and initiatives to raise awareness. Folks can donate directly here.
Why It Matters: The fundraiser has two goals: first, to raise money to provide direct aid, and second, to challenge the coffee industry to get involved in the ongoing situation in Palestine. Last year, our Coffee News Club writer, Fionn Pooler, wrote a piece comparing the industry’s response to Gaza to its response to the war in Ukraine. “Individuals have spoken up—and risked their livelihoods for doing so—but those in power have essentially refused to engage,” Pooler wrote.
Lalonde notes that the initiative has been highly successful, raising $2,000 from the coffee community. The fundraiser has been shared nearly “100,000 times on Instagram.” But “this is just a start,” he said.
“Why is a coffee roaster so engaged in the Palestinian cause?” Lalonde asks. “Because genocide is the crime of crimes, and doing anything to stop it, or assist the victims, is a moral imperative.”
The Full Extraction: Lalonde worked with “trusted friends to help him amplify the message,” the press release states. “The design was made by Chelsea [Thoumsin] of the Pollinator Project.” Other collaborators include the coffee gear redistribution project Getuchsomegear, Heart Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, Tabeeb Roasters, a Palestinian-owned roastery based in Chicago, and the Keffiyeh Source, a wholesale and retail company that makes Palestinian goods and textiles.
Coffee industry members are invited to participate or start their own fundraiser. For example, Rabbit Hole “will launch a Coffee For Palestine [fundraiser] in the coming days, with all profits going to the Sameer Project,” a press release about the cause states. “Everyone who grabs a bag will be entered in a raffle with prizes from five coffee roasters.”
What’s More: Lalonde said he and his project collaborators are “calling in every coffee business and coffee professional to donate and, when possible, do their own post or raffle.” Folks can get their blank designs to tailor social media assets to their specific fundraiser by DMing Lalonde on Instagram directly “to keep the momentum going.”
“The situation is dire,” the press release states, “and the coffee community can do something about it by just showing solidarity to the Palestinian people.”
