Jaguar-Friendly™ Coffee Returns

Pura Vida from Press Coffee, Phoenix Zoo. Protects Wildlife, People & Landscapes

Wake up and save the jaguars with the return of a collaboration from Press Coffee and the Phoenix Zoo. Pura Vida is the first certified Jaguar-Friendly™ coffee in the United States. Sourced from the Fincas Las Alturas in Costa Rica with the help of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC), which operates the Phoenix Zoo, the 12-ounce bags of whole beans are now available at all Press Coffee locations and on the Press Coffee website with a portion of the proceeds supporting jaguar research led by the ACNC and ProCAT, an international nongovernmental organization focused on wildlife and habitat conservation.

For this Jaguar Conservation Coffee project, the ACNC and ProCAT work with Finca Las Alturas ranch to support a landscape where farmers, jaguars and other wildlife co-exist. This southern part of Costa Rica is home to one of the largest populations of jaguars in that country and is also renowned as one of the most richly diverse coffee regions in the world.

Jaguars are in decline in the wild due mainly to illegal hunting and habitat loss, with the overall jaguar population estimated to occupy less than 50 percent of its former range. The ACNC’s Field Conservation Research Director, Dr. Jan Schipper, and other researchers have been working to design a habitat corridor that links Las Alturas with the Osa Peninsula, home to Costa Rica’s most threatened jaguar population. These two areas are separated by farms, plantations, homes, businesses and busy highways, thus, separating jaguars from the prey they need.

Last year, sales of Pura Vida raised more than $5,500 for the conservation efforts. Schipper says the funds are being used to buy camera traps for the jaguar corridor and Las Alturas buffer zone and weather monitoring stations for the current coffee plantation.

“We will be assessing the value of different coffee conservation schemes in several regions to see what benefits jaguar and other species, and how we can work with producers to do it better,” said Schipper. “Weather monitoring is important to both to the coffee production and to corridor monitoring. Seasonal variation has greatly increased in the last 10 years and we need to be able to quantify these changes.”

Press Coffee co-owner Steve Kraus describes this year’s Pura Vida as an exceptional example of Costa Rican single origins with notes of milk chocolate, caramel and pecans.

“It’s been an honor to not just share an outstanding coffee with our guests, but to have the chance to support the amazing work the Phoenix Zoo is doing in our communities,” said Kraus. “We’re proud to include Pura Vida in our Press On Charities efforts.”

Pura Vida is the first coffee certified Jaguar Friendly™ by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN).

“By using certification as an innovative conservation tool we can achieve conservation goals while supporting local farmers in jaguar range countries and share these incredible stories of coexistence with aspirational consumers around the world. It’s truly a triple bottom line win,” said Julie Stein, Executive Director and co-founder of WFEN.

Pura Vida is available for $16.50 for a 12-ounce bag of whole beans with $5 of the proceeds going to support ACNC and ProCAT’s jaguar conservation efforts. It’s available at Press Coffee locations in Phoenix, Chandler, Scottsdale and Tempe and at the Phoenix Zoo. It is also available online at presscoffee.com and can be shipped worldwide.

About Press Coffee Roasters

Press has been Arizona’s own local coffee roaster since 2008. Quality driven and community focused, Press shares its passion for specialty coffee by providing the highest quality coffee products, service and knowledge with customers and community every day. Press Coffee has Valley locations in Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix and Chandler. Visit Press Coffee online at presscoffee.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @presscoffee.

About the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation

The Arizona Center for Nature Conservation operates the Phoenix Zoo and the South Mountain Environmental Education Center. The ACNC advances the stewardship and conservation of animals and their habitats while providing experiences that inspire people and motivate them to care for the natural world. The Phoenix Zoo is the only zoo in the Valley accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a non-profit zoological park, serving 1.3 million guests annually. The Zoo is home to more than 3,000 animals, many of which are endangered and threatened species. For information on upcoming events, exhibits and activities at the Phoenix Zoo, visit phoenixzoo.org. For information about the South Mountain Environmental Education Center, visit smeec.org.

About ProCAT

ProCAT, Proyecto de Conservacion de Aguas y Tierras (Water and Land Conservation Project), is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of species and ecosystems, including the human component, from an interdisciplinary approach. Its purpose is the conservation of ecosystems, species and cultural wealth, integrating scientific, traditional and cultural knowledge; in search of the well-being of both biodiversity and human communities. For more information, visit (www.procat-conservation.org).

About Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN)

WFEN represents grassroots farmers, ranchers, artisans, indigenous peoples and conservation heroes from around the world including two World Bank Development Marketplace Award winners, a U.N. Equator Prize winner, leadership in the world’s marketplace for REDD+ Carbon Offsets and a Time Hero for the Planet. Certified products contribute to the conservation of over twelve million hectares of diverse wetlands, forests, and grasslands; protect keystone endangered species in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas; and benefit over200,000 people through increased food security, income and employment. For more information visit:www.wildlifefriendly.org