Hugh Jackman may be best known for playing “Wolverine” in the X-Men film series, but he is increasingly becoming known for something entirely different: the co-founding of Laughing Man® Coffee.
After traveling to Ethiopia for a documentary about development projects in 2009, the actor and Global Citizen Ambassador was inspired to create a cup of joe that is both delicious and helps coffee farmers.
And just two years later, Laughing Man® Coffee was born.
Jackman said his understanding of coffee’s value and potential to impact lives was shaped by his encounter with an Ethiopian farmer named Dukale.
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"The time I spent with Dukale made me realize that if you give people a hand up rather than a handout, the difference it makes to them is massive," he told CNN. And that’s the belief around which Laughing Man® Coffee was built.
All of Jackman’s profits from the coffee brand go to the Laughing Man Foundation. Most recently, the foundation has teamed up with Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit that sets standards for and certifies fair trades products, to support coffee farming communities in Huila, Colombia.
“Through a very simple choice of buying fair-trade coffee, we can take part in change," Jackman told CNN.
This year, Laughing Man® will be providing 40 college scholarships to family members of the COOCENTRAL cooperative as well as funds to improve 100 homes, according to the Foundation’s website. Laughing Man® Coffee sales support farmers like Sandra Alvarado and help them renovate their homes and raise their quality of life.
By purchasing Laughing Man®, coffee drinkers “make every cup count.” So far, the company has a cafe, in New York City — but coffee lovers don’t have to travel to New York to get a great cup of coffee and make a difference. Laughing Man® Coffee is also is available in bag coffee & recyclable K-Cup Pods. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase of Laughing Man® Coffee goes to the Laughing Man Foundation for their support of coffee farmers.
“We strongly feel at Laughing Man, this is not our official blurb, but what we always say is “all be happy!” Jackman told Entertainment Weekly in June. “Every aspect of our business should be making everyone happy. Including the people who grow [the coffee].”