Brita raises £24,000 for Project Waterfall

Brita Professional has raised more than £24,000 for Project Waterfall this year, a charity that aims to bring clean drinking water to coffee-growing communities.

Brita has donated £10,000 from its professional filter sales between January and August this year, and also fundraised at this year's London Coffee Festival. More than £285,000 has been raised for Project Waterfall overall by various events and companies this year.

At the London Coffee Festival, Brita worked with Project Waterfall to set up ‘hydration stations' where festival goers could access filtered water. For each cup or bottle filled, a donation was requested for the cause.

Since the partnership with Project Waterfall began in 2015, Brita has contributed more than £45,000. Project Waterfall funds from this year went to help a number of initiatives including projects in Ethiopia, where 51% of the rural population do not have access to clean water.

The project in the Toke Kutaye and Chelia districts aims to provide 24,500 people by 2018 with clean water. In Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Project Waterfall is funding an initiative that is providing water, hygiene and sanitation to the Tsehai orphanage.

Miles Dawson, sales director at Brita Professional, said: "Thanks to everyone who has supported Project Waterfall this year. Whether it was because you bought a Brita Fill&Go bottle, or from money raised by an event you hosted in your coffee shop during UK Coffee Week, these funds make a massive difference to the daily lives of people linked to the coffee supply chain. 90% of coffee is grown in developing countries where 60% of people do not have access to safe, clean water. It's really important for us to support and give back to the communities of the industry we work in."

Jeffrey Young, chairman of the Allegra Foundation and CEO of the Allegra Group, which founded Project Waterfall, added: "I'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Brita team for their dedicated support of this important cause. With their help, Project Waterfall has been able to deliver essential water and sanitation to even more coffee growing areas."

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