We live in a world that values quantity over quality, in all areas of life.
We would rather buy several cheap outfits than spend the money on two or three well-made, more expensive pieces. We opt for having many acquaintances rather than putting in the work to develop a few real, close friends. We choose food that’s highly processed because it’s faster and cheaper — and way less costly in the time and energy department — rather than spending a little more time and resources on whole foods that benefit us in the long run.
We want the cheap and easy thing now rather than saving for the real thing later or just making do with less.
As a result, we have more than we need but we don’t actually enjoy most of it.
We have 100's of items in our closet but nothing to wear.
We have 100's of followers but no authentic community.
We don't want to spend time or money on good food, but we dis-count the cost of "fast" food on our health and well-being long term.
I've lived like this for a long time and I didn't realize it until, that's right, coffee.
Every morning I would do the same thing. My alarm would go off at 5, I was out of bed by 5:30 to work out, eat breakfast, get ready for work and have a little quiet time. By 7 I was in the drive thru. And every day as I drove away I’d think, man, this coffee is not even good. I’m not enjoying this at all. But the next day I’d be back in the same line again because I need it. And it’s cheap.
But I wasn’t enjoying it, and that was my epiphany. Why am I spending so much money on coffee I don’t even like? I would be better off spending more on a good cup of coffee once a week, rather than downing cheap coffee every day just out of habit.
So that’s what I did. I stopped going to fast food coffee during the week, and I would go for my Americano on Fridays — man, did I look forward to Fridays! And I enjoyed every sip. (Now, I make mine at home when I want one thanks to my Breville)
Now, I am not so snobby as to refuse to drink a fast food coffee now and again ... that's not what it's about.
It's about less really being more — but we have to stop desiring more for less.
Now, hear me out, where I was buying my coffee is not the point — this is NOT business shaming. Retail anxiety is also not the point - this is NOT purchase shaming. The point is that I didn’t enjoy the coffee I was drinking, I was only drinking it because it was cheap and because I thought I needed it. It became just a thing I did without thinking, not a thing I got great enjoyment out of doing.
I was sacrificing quality for quantity. It's hard to have one without sacrificing the other.
When we fill our hearts, our homes and our lives with with quantity,
we are hurried, fearful of losing what we have and always wondering if we have enough. We don't have time to enjoy what's now because we are busy chasing what's next.
When we carefully pick and choose what goes into our hearts, our homes and our lives, when we have waited, save or even prayed for the things we have — even if they are not many — they become meaningful. We treasure them and the moments and memories they provide.
Quantity looks like re-organizing and de-cluttering after we accumulate.
Quality looks like re-thinking and re-evaluating before we accumulate.
It's not about feeling guilty for buying stuff. It's about being intentional about what we buy.
This philosophy is one I am trying to spread throughout all areas of my life — food, clothing, relationships, entertainment — even coffee.
But for us at Wild Ginger Coffee, this value is especially important. We made a promise, after all, that each cup of Wild Ginger Coffee would be excellent, and we intend to keep it.
Quality requires a slowness; an attention to detail; choosing with intention.
This of course starts with the hand-picking of the cherries — one at a time, red ones only, the washing, drying and sorting — also all done by hand, the sorting one bean at a time, and small batch roasting — requiring constant attention and care, but it does not end there.
Think about it, you can have a quality bean, but the more effort you put into making a cup of coffee, the better it tastes. From drip, to french press, to pour over, to espresso, the outcome will reflect the input.
Quality requires an investment — time and effort.
But the returns are unmatched — satisfaction and enjoyment.
And it’s true in every area of our lives.
We do not want to sacrifice quality for quantity and we don’t want you to either.
What if you bought a higher quality coffee and drank less, but enjoyed it more?
What if you spent more on what you loved, but wasted less on what was just ok?
What if the quality of your coffee could effect the quality of life for a farmer, a family, a sister or a sex-worker?
At Wild Ginger Coffee, we believe it can and it does.
Quality places value. Quantity promotes exploitation.
Quality says: "You're worth it, I'll wait."
Quantity says: "I need it now, you can wait."
We all know that quality is costly.
What we often forget is that quantity can be costly too, just not for us.
That’s why Wild Ginger Coffee would rather sell less coffee at a higher price than sacrifice the quality of lives to sell more for less.
It’s our promise: That every cup of Wild Ginger Coffee would be excellent.
Excellent in taste and excellent in ethic.
Whether you’re booking us for an event, or you’re buying coffee from us to brew at home, we want you to know that every dollar is making a difference to ensure not only the quality of the coffee, but the quality of the lives we care so much about.
We see the highest value in our people. They are not cheap, so neither is our coffee.
Will you join us in our pursuit of quality over quantity in even one area of your life? Over the next several months I am committing to (slowly) going through different areas of my house and life to clear out the unnecessary and pay attention to what I am buying and from where. Not to shame myself into having nothing, but to free myself from needing to have everything right away. Freedom to love what I have and in the process, free others by finding and learning about ethical companies both locally and globally that I can support when I do make purchases as well as learning what I can live without.
It's not a guilt trip, it's an invitation.
An invitation to live with intention.
You don't need to have everything you love, but wouldn't it be great to love everything you have?
Follow us on instagram @wildgingercoffee to see what #qualityoverquantity project we're tackling next, and what ethical companies we are finding. We hope you'll tag us in your endeavours and share your findings as well!
We're in this together. Let's be people who value quality over quantity.
- The Wild Ginger
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20% of all Wild Ginger Profits go directly to organizations locally and globally who are working with women in and exiting the sex-industry.
We are dedicated to ensuring that the farmers and families we buy from are generously compensated and that each person in the process is treated like family, with dignity and respect.