Posted on

‘Ugly’ can be beautiful (& healthy)

BERKELEY, Calif. ― Imperfect Produce set up shop at the Berkeley Kite Festival over the weekend to show how “ugly” crops — bought directly from farms and delivered to customers in personal boxes for a cheaper price than many grocery stores — can be a great find. Many of these “ugly” crops don’t meet grocery store standards of perfection and are often thrown away, despite having the same quality and nutrition as regular produce.

Imperfect Produce’s stand offers passerbys the chance to sign up for customizable produce packages. Photo by Katie Liu.

The company sources its produce from California farmers based on seasonal availability. The crops are fresh and organic. A box of “ugly” produce costs up to 50 percent less than grocery-store prices. For example, a small box can cost between $11 and $15, while a large box can cost about $20, depending on the types of items that customers order.

Christopher Steinei, who was staffing Imperfect Produce’s booth at the festival on Sunday, said that people are drawn to Imperfect Produce because of both price and the good cause.

Their mission to reduce food waste is an important step to combatting climate change as well.

“For every pound of produce, it usually takes 55 gallons of water,” Steinei said. Wasted food also releases carbon dioxide, making it the third largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.

So far, Imperfect Produce has been able to save 220 million gallons of water as well as 15 million pounds of carbon dioxide. It has saved and delivered 4.4 million pounds of produce to its customers, who in turn have collectively been able to save $2 million, according to the company.

Imperfect Produce comes in all shapes and sizes, some too small and others misshapen or twisting or bulging. And these raw fruits and vegetables demonstrate “the beauty in imperfection.”

Posted on

Coffee shop helps refugees settle in California

BERKELEY, Calif. — The 1951 Coffee Company is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping refugees settle in California. It is named after the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, which first introduced guidelines to protect refugees.

When refugees arrive in California, they often have no resumes and little work experience. The 1951 Coffee Company, founded in 2015, has helped provide job training. Additionally, the shop educates locals about the many challenges that refugees face, including cultural shock.

The 1951 Coffee Company offers several opportunities to teach its customers about re

fugees. Next to the counter is a wall featuring the process that many refugees go through in order to become an American citizen. While customers drink their coffee and eat their pastries, they can also read about the long, arduous steps that refugees must take to enter and settle in a new country.

1951 Coffee Company’s walls are decorated with its logo and history. Photo by Grace Liu

Many of 1951 Coffee’s customers support the company’s efforts to aid refugees. Cathy Lee is a returning customer, and calls the coffee shop a “perfect storm.” Its efforts to help refugees acclimate to their new life and culture, she says, is “amazing” and “very unique.”

Another customer, Joyce Ting, says that she goes to the coffee shop once or twice a month. She said the mission of the shop is “really awesome,” and that “anyone that believes in something and does something about it” is good.

She also said that the biggest impact that the coffee shop has is not particularly enormous, as it is a small company, but the “meaningful impact on individual people” it has made is just as important.

Anna Pastor, a student at University of California, Berkeley, says that she goes to the coffee shop weekly. She said, “If I’m going to purchase coffee anyways, I might as well use my purchasing power for a social cause.”

The 1951 Coffee Company’s mission to support refugees and teach the surrounding community about the hardships experienced by refugees is admirable and will impact many more refugees in the future.