Heifer International
In 1944, Heifer International’s founder, Dan West, began outlining a simple but groundbreaking plan to tackle hunger around the world. West, a farmer from the Midwest and Church of the Brethren member, had recently returned from feeding weary refugees during volunteer service in the Spanish Civil War. He had seen firsthand that giving people food was a short-term solution, whereas providing them with animals offered a steady supply of nutritious food for an entire family. His philosophy still inspires Heifer’s work today. Partnering with farmers across a range of different livestock and crops, we create unique solutions to local challenges. Today, Heifer International has operations in 19 countries around the world, working alongside local farmers, business owners and their communities, as they mobilize and envision their futures. Together, we build inclusive, resilient economies, so communities can develop effective ways to end global hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. To date, we have supported more than 52 million farming families across Africa, Asia and the Americas and in the past five years alone, we have worked alongside 2.7 million families to close the living income gap or set them on a path to doing so. Between now and 2030, we will support an additional 10 million people to reach a living income by scaling up our signature programs. To achieve this, Heifer International relies on its passionate, committed and highly skilled staff.www.heifer.org
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Search complete. 18 mentions across 6 episodes found for "Heifer International".
Oct 13, 2026
Zach WebberHOST
Okay, Addie, it's time for the [laughs] segment of the show where we talk about, uh, an organization you wanna plug, a cause you really care about.
Adrienne CahillGUEST
One of the charitable organizations that's really made an impact on, on my head space honestly and the way I think about the world and the way I think about charity is the Heifer Project, Heifer International.
Zach WebberHOST
Mm-hmm.
Adrienne CahillGUEST
Um, it is a really interesting and unique organization because it focuses on not just giving people who need things things they need, but also helping to set them up for success.
Marie ForleoHOST
Yes.
Tererai TrentGUEST
And now she is the CEO and president of Heifer International, this organization that has just, that had just employed me.
Marie ForleoHOST
Mm.
Tererai TrentGUEST
And I am thinking the universe, the universe has a way to honor our dreams if only we believe, and we become determined, and work hard-
James HarperHOST
So while you're trying to figure out the specific production costs for your farm, it's always useful to compare that against what other people have calculated.
James HarperHOST
For example, Heifer International ran a study with Fairtrade in Tolima, Colombia, working with a coffee cooperative, Asopep.
James HarperHOST
This story was featured on a podcast that I produced many years ago called New Wave Coffee.
James HarperHOST
It was a podcast made for the specialty coffee buyer and roaster manufacturer, Bellwether Coffee.
GraysonSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It looks at a culturally appropriate and nutritious diet.
GraysonSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It looks at basic needs that need to be covered like education and household expenses and health care, decent housing and like other unexpected expenses.
James HarperHOST
So Heifer International worked out that the minimum take-home income that a producer in Tolima needs to live on, so their income, not what the coffee generates in revenue, but what they need to pay themselves is $4,000 a year.
James HarperHOST
And you can work that backwards into a minimum coffee price, $1.89 per pound of parchment.
James HarperHOST
So while you're trying to figure out the specific production costs for your farm, it's always useful to compare that against what other people have calculated.
James HarperHOST
For example, Heifer International ran a study with Fairtrade in Tolima, Colombia, working with a coffee cooperative, Asopep.
James HarperHOST
This story was featured on a podcast that I produced many years ago called New Wave Coffee.
James HarperHOST
It was a podcast made for the specialty coffee buyer and roaster manufacturer, Bellwether Coffee.
GraysonSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It looks at a culturally appropriate and nutritious diet.
GraysonSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It looks at basic needs that need to be covered like education and household expenses and health care, decent housing and like other unexpected expenses.
James HarperHOST
So Heifer International worked out that the minimum take-home income that a producer in Tolima needs to live on, so their income, not what the coffee generates in revenue, but what they need to pay themselves is $4,000 a year.
James HarperHOST
And you can work that backwards into a minimum coffee price, $1.89 per pound of parchment.
Natalie PalamidesGUEST
And I go, knock, knock.
Natalie PalamidesGUEST
And he goes, who's there? And I say, Heifer International.
Natalie PalamidesGUEST
And he goes, Heifer International who? And I say, Heifer International, we're a nonprofit organization that helps young girls learn sustainable farming around the world to help feed their families.
Natalie PalamidesGUEST
Would you like to make a donation? And he's like, what? And I was like, we're Heifer International, a nonprofit organization to help young girls learn sustainable farming.
Natalie PalamidesGUEST
and um yeah he didn't he didn't really get it maybe you guys don't really get
Cory Peter LaneHOST
it
Brian LeeHOST
And then they're gone.
Brian LeeHOST
And so a lot of things like Save the Children or Heifer International, I would hear from the local people there They had sort of lost a little credibility because they had automated their mechanism to such a degree that it couldn't really focus on this village and its issues and understand that plate of spaghetti.
Brian LeeHOST
Whereas if you're setting up a relationship with people, you're actually saying, I'm here to make you successful.
Brian LeeHOST
And that gives you at least a foundation to build from, I would think.