Funding health care with coffee

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Pheo Coffee isn’t your everyday coffee company — it’s paying for critical medical treatments in developing countries. Founder and physician Larry Istrail saw that millions of people worldwide were suffering because they couldn’t pay for basic medical care — while in America we’re drinking millions of cups of coffee a day.

He decided to make a difference by starting a coffee company whose proceeds would go toward creating a sustainable fund for healthcare. He partnered with Watsi, a crowdfunding nonprofit that raises money for life-changing surgeries for people living in impoverished countries. Each month, Pheo subscribers get a shipment of expertly curated coffee beans named for a pioneer in medicine and a card describing a patient whose life-changing surgery is being funded by the proceeds from the sale.

Larry’s hope is that if he can deliver great coffees at a competitive price while helping people in need, coffee drinkers won’t see a reason to buy any other kind of coffee.

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