Daily Thoughts #4

People matter most
Having the opportunity to visit coffee farms across East Africa last month, my eyes were opened wide to the sheer complexity of the coffee chain. It got me thinking about the importance of the farmer. See, if it weren’t for the farmer, there’d be no coffee in the first place and hence I began to understand that behind every bean there’s a face, there’s a name and there’s a family.
With the launch of ‘Carter Culture’, I made myself a promise: ‘people matter most’ will be the foundation upon which everything is built. Nothing should take priority over that – not profit, self-gain or even opportunities.
On a broader basis, it goes beyond the farmer. It doesn’t matter which part of the coffee chain we find ourselves in, whether a producer or consumer, how we treat people matters. Our staff, our waiters, our baristas, our colleagues, our employers…they matter. It sounds obvious doesn’t it? Unfortunately that’s not often the case. I honestly believe we all have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves the question, “…but am I putting people, first?”
Tags: dailythoughtsI believe it’s time that we humbled ourselves enough to answer that question honestly. It’s our responsibility to call out wrong when we see it because if not us, then who? It won’t just impact their lives, it will impact ours too.