MEET THE ETHICAL FOUNDERS OF MELBOURNE'S MOST UNIQUE COFFEE COMMUNITY

CELINA Lazarus (pictured right) and Tony Strickett's (pictured left) love affair with coffee began with their first venture; an importing business called First Crop Coffee.

The group, founded in 2013, was designed to be a 100 per cent traceable coffee company where husband and wife Lazarus and Strickett know exactly where every coffee bean comes from.

According to Lazarus, the same can't be said for every coffee importer in Australia.

"It is a lot harder to be transparent," says Lazarus.

"You have to be a lot more involved in the actual procurement of the coffee. We actually go to all the places we purchase from, and we're very involved with the actual producers and cooperatives we know exactly where our coffee comes from."

Lazarus says this commitment to transparency is important not only from a branding perspective, but from a perspective of genuine care and passion for the coffee farmers.

"We know all the names of all our farmers," she says. "We give back a lot to the communities that farm our coffee because we want to be involved on that level and help out with the livelihood of the people from those communities that are struggling." Read more

David Simmons - Business News Australia - 14 Dec 2017