Long before corporate social
responsibility and volunteerism became a buzzword for brands and corporations,
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® has already made it an intrinsic mission and
company philosophy.
It’s
a commitment that they took on back in 2008, when they started the Give In To
Giving, 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® campaign, an initiative designed to share this mission with its
loyal customers.
“It began by taking something that was
relevant to customers at the time—the “planner craze,” if you will— and creating something more meaningful that could be an extension of our
commitment as a brand to giving back. What spurred out of this intention was a Commemorative Notebook that became a
medium for us, and our patrons, to support advocacies in need and share their
blessings. It was and continues to be the only journal that encourages
more purposeful action towards ones’ social
responsibility,” explained Paolo del Rosario, Vice President for
Marketing of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.
Customers
were asked to collect 12 stamps and choose from any of the 12 advocacies and
organizations that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was supporting. These ranged
from women’s groups, to children, animals, the environment, indigenous people
or those with disabilities and illnesses. Completing all 12 stamps meant the
customer could bring home the commemorative notebook that featured artworks
from contemporary Filipino artists and proceeds collected went to each
customer’s chosen organization. The original artworks featured in the covers of
the Commemorative Notebook were also auctioned and were donated to the
charities.
The
entire campaign was such a success that not only was it well received by loyal
patrons; it also won numerous awards.
The
following year, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®
introduced
its follow up with 24 Cups of Goodwill, where proceeds from the campaign were
given to its 24 partner organizations. In 2010, for Changing Lives with Every
Cup, they shifted their focus on sending scholars to school by partnering with
Real Life Foundation and their Adopt-a-Scholar program, where the company was
successfully able to send 8 scholars to university.
In
2012, they continued their efforts with the iBuild campaign, which helped raise
sustainable housing solutions for impoverished families. And by 2014, they
introduced the Brew Your Best Year campaign, which evolved their efforts into
giving back to their loyal patrons by helping them give back to themselves as
well. Through this initiative, they hope to help each person in their journey
towards becoming the best version of themselves.
Their
efforts through the years prove how a brand can become meaningful in addressing
social change.
“It’s
so much more than being well-intentioned; because at the end of the day, taking
on social responsibility has to be part of a brand’s DNA,” says del Rosario.
Is
it naïve to expect businesses to take on a responsibility as great as this, the
way The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® did?
Not
necessarily.
Companies
today, locally and worldwide, are putting more focus on developing a culture of
volunteerism and social responsibility—recognizing how working together can
make a real difference in the community, while at the same time opening up
opportunities for learning, cooperation and leadership within the organization.
What
makes The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®’s efforts
stand out however, is the sincerity that drives their initiatives, where they
have managed to uplift the true essence of what it truly means to care.
Case-in-point,
expanding annual efforts to now cover a full year of advocacies.
Consistently,
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® brings people
together to participate in various community outreach events. “We place great effort into
putting such events together not only for the sole purpose of helping the
community, but also to encourage our own Customers and Team Members to spend
meaningful time bringing joy to others in an impactful and sincere way,” explains
Nella Lomotan, Engagement Marketing for The
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.
These
pocket initiatives, held monthly, are part of the Caring Cup series. And
whether it’s a simple story telling event in a hospital, a physical fitness
session with public school students, a tree planting project, an art workshop
for children with disabilities, each event is designed to foster the spirit of
volunteerism and giving among its participants.
In
fact, last February 14, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®
made sure to
create an avenue to give love and receive love as they mounted the “Paint the
Town Red this Valentines’ event. Volunteers spent the day of love giving love
to children with disabilities at AIME home via a t-shirt painting activity with
the intent of giving kids something that they will always remember.
“The
Caring Cup is a way for us to expand and uphold a vision that we have long
established for the company, where we hope to cultivate the spirit of
volunteerism in our Community. We strongly encourage everyone who wants to be a
part of something that impacts the life of others in a meaningful way to visit
our stores and sign up for our next events.” ends del Rosario.
Follow The
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®’s social media pages and subscribe to www.brewyourbestyear.com to stay updated on their Caring Cup events.
Facebook:
facebook.com/coffeebeanphilippines
Instagram: instagram.com/cbtlph
Twitter: twitter.com/cbtlph
Instagram: instagram.com/cbtlph
Twitter: twitter.com/cbtlph
