Coffee roasters donate some profits to Cambodian children

May 11, 2009
By JENNIFER FITCH
The Herald-Mail (Pennsylvania, USA)

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. — Jeff and Stacy Myers say that when they roast coffee, the entire neighborhood smells delicious.

The Myerses installed an air roaster in a building on Grandview Drive in Chambersburg. There, the business they formed — Abednego Coffee Roasters — works with beans from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Sumatra, Ethiopia and Columbia.
The products are sold online and at C&C Coffee Co. on North Main Street. Twenty-five percent of Abednego Coffee Roasters’ profits is donated to the education of children living in Cambodia.

“It’s a simple thing that makes a big impact,” Jeff said.

Jeff, who does agricultural lending, researched the coffee industry while attending The Ohio State University and later learned how to roast in Kansas City, Mo. At the same time, Stacy was teaching as a missionary in Cambodia.

Many of the educated Cambodians were slaughtered in the late 1970s, so today’s children don’t have as many opportunities, Stacy said.

“There’s a lack of creativity and things like that in their culture,” she said.

Jeff’s uncle works with South East Asia Prayer Center (SEAPC) in Cambodia and Tibet. The Myers’ coffee business supports SEAPC, but they’ve also sponsored special nights to benefit Chambersburg-area charities.

“We realized it was important for Chambersburg people to give back to Chambersburg,” said Stacy, who is an English as a Second Language teacher in the Chambersburg Area School District.

Many of the Abednego Coffee Roasters blends have names that recognize local places like “Route 30,” “Rouzerville” and “King Street.”

The Myerses purchased an air roaster in October 2007 and opened their business in March 2008. The roasting process takes 15 to 20 minutes and heats the beans to more than 400 degrees.

A one-pound bag of coffee sells for approximately $12.