Franciscans sell coffee to benefit aging sisters, Honduran farmers

PITTSBURGH (CNS)—A Pittsburgh community of Franciscan sisters has entered the world of private-label coffee brands, aiding both their own aging sisters and poor Honduran coffee farmers in the process. They launched their own coffee label—Franciscan Blend—earlier this spring, using fair-trade beans imported from the Central American country. The sisters will use the income to help support their elderly and infirm sisters. And through fair trade, the farmers are guaranteed a stable, fair price for their products, giving them economic security. The farmers are organized into cooperatives which link them directly to coffee importers. Franciscan Blend is available in 12-ounce bags of regular medium blend, with decaf to be added soon. “We feel it’s a win-win situation by marketing Franciscan Blend coffee,” said Sister J. Lora Dambroski, U.S. provincial minister for the order, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God. Franciscan Blend coffee may be purchased by credit card on the order’s Web site, www.osfprov. org, or by mail to: Development Office, St. Francis Sisters, 3603 McRoberts Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15234. More information is available by calling 412-885-7223.