Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia

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Hugh Jackman, an internationally known stage and screen actor, has long supported social and global economic causes. A journey to Ethiopia, however, changed things for the star whom children around the world know as “Wolverine” in the X-Men movie franchise.

Traveling as an ambassador for World Vision Australia in 2009, Jackman met a young coffee farmer named Dukale. They worked together on Dukale’s small plot of land where Jackman learned how to plant trees. He discovered how hard Dukale worked each day to grow his business and provide for his family.

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Jackman also tasted Dukale’s coffee and was convinced there was a way he could make a difference. Two years later, Laughing Man Coffee opened in New York City selling Dukale’s coffee by the cup and bag at fair trade prices. All Jackman’s profits were earmarked for the Laughing Man Foundation, a non-profit committed to supporting social entrepreneurship and coffee farmers like Dukale.

This story was chronicled in a 2015 documentary, “Dukale’s Dream.” Work on the documentary began with the 2009 visit and evolved with the foundation’s growth, opening the café and the launch of sales by Keurig Green Mountain.

“The foundation looks to further the inspiration and lessons we received working with Dukale in Ethiopia,” said David Steingard, the foundation’s director and c.e.o. of Laughing Man Coffee. “He is one of many similarly situated coffee farmers, but everyone has something that brought them into the greater conversation of fair trade, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

“Clearly the lessons learned with Dukale apply to many coffee farmers around the world, to many industries around the world and also to entrepreneurs in first world developed areas,” Steingard said. “So he is our muse and through the foundation we want to build on that experience and extrapolate different parts of the conversation. Having an authentic story, a real person and real business as a result of the meeting puts us in a unique place to bring this conversation to more people.”

An important part of the foundation’s focus is education. Working with World Vision Australia in Ethiopia, programs are in place so local farmers learn not only how to enhance crop production but also their own businesses.

“Education is the silver bullet for any change we hope to see. To address this, we are in the process of turning Dukale’s Dream into a curriculum either as a stand-alone program that can be a special event or an actual curriculum that can be taught,” Steingard said

Steingard quotes a saying – “Good things happen over great coffee” – and points to both the foundation and Laughing Man coffee sales efforts.

“The cafe honors coffee and the experience of coming together over coffee. We are in the service industry and we take the idea of service to others very seriously,” he said. “So I think we set a standard for what any retail experience should be like.

“You can’t talk about saving farmers or helping others and not fully help the person in front of you. Because we have gained the customers’ trust and put them first there is actual receptivity to our mission,” he said. “In fact, people begin to associate the experience with the fact that we are mission driven, and that is what you want. You want the customer to associate good, happy, friendly, positive (feelings) with coffee. So the real time experience of the cafe is the best calling card we have.”