Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Waka Coffee Combats Water Waste with Its Add Water Give Water Campaign

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When David Kovalevski, the founder of Waka Coffee, started learning about the coffee industry, he opened his eyes to a startling fact about the java industry. According to Unesco, it takes about 37 gallons of water to produce a single cup of coffee. It’s a thirsty trade, with water used to wash the coffee cherries and submerge the crop to separate the ripe yield from the unripe stuff. The beans are then hit with more fresh water to induce fermentation. And this is to say nothing of irrigation needs or the water usage associated with creating packaging and shipping the product. Learning about this wasteful process set him out to establish a process to combat the waste.

Related Readings

Meet the Founder, David Kovalevski

Waka Coffee Founder David KovalevskiBefore Waka Coffee launched in late 2019, Kovalevski collected menus from area coffee shops to spark ideas for his future business. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur from a very young age,” he recalls. “My dream was to open a coffee shop.”

Recommended Videos

After studying digital marketing at college in New York and researching the coffee realm in between courses, Kovalevski refined his dream some. He would stick with coffee but go the instant route. The time and cash consumed from coffee runs while a student with a full-time job was significant, especially given Big Apple prices. He envisioned a lighting-fast cup of joe made with just the addition of water  — one that tasted like it came from the deft hands of a seasoned barista.

” When I was thinking about Waka Coffee I knew we had to give back somehow or change our own behavior to compensate for that waste,” Kovalevski says. “As a new and small player in the coffee industry, we unfortunately can’t control the entire process at this point. However, we still wanted to give back in a meaningful way that is directly correlated to that somewhat wasteful process.”

The Add Water, Give Water Campaign

Image used with permission by copyright holder

From day one, Waka has partnered with the non-profit charity:water as part of its Add Water, Give Water campaign. In other words, the brand has donated 4% of its profits to support clean water projects all over the planet, including coffee-centric places like Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. In turn, the non-profit uses the entirety of its proceeds for its important work.

Kovalevski notes that the issue is twofold. For starters, water is a precious resource and needs to be conserved. This is all the more important amid a warming planet subject to increasingly frequent droughts. Secondly, in far too many places, there’s no clean water for drinking. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you operate in an industry like coffee, which has a history of leaving the spigot on.

Waka hopes to donate even more to charity:water in the future, financially and physically. Kovalevski says the outfit is incredibly transparent, showing where each dollar is spent via photos and GPS coordinates. The non-profit’s partners on the ground coordinate sanitation and hygiene training as well as local water committees to keep the clean water flowing and the practices in place.

It doesn’t stop there. Waka has actively supported the medical world during the pandemic, donating coffee to hospitals all over the country. Kovalevski is looking forward to doing more in and around Waka’s headquarters in Los Angeles as well.

“There are many things we could make a difference with in our own backyard like the homeless crisis, social inequality, assisting immigrants and refugees, and much more,” he says. “My dream is to have the means and the team to support these causes as well.”

How You Can Support

As the company grows, it will aim to grow its philanthropic efforts as well. It’s not only part of being a mindful company in 2021 but part of a growing and inspiring trend among businesses to be transparent and active. It’s no longer enough to make a tasty IPA or balanced cup of coffee. You need to engage with the world and try to make it better by taking on any number of vital social, environmental, and racial justice issues.

“We know that we are a small brand and unfortunately can’t change the world right now, or even be as good as we would have wanted to be,” Kovalevski admits. “But, we definitely make an effort in places we can make a difference, taking into consideration other causes beyond immediate profitability, like taking care of our environment.”

Whether you like an easy-to-make cup of instant coffee or a hot pour of decaf, Waka’s got you covered. Better, the brand is giving back and constantly looking to lead by example.

Shop at Waka Coffee

This feature is part of our Brands Giving Back Series, where we’ll bring you all the latest news on brands that are giving back to the community, and how you can support by shopping online.

Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
Ditch watered down iced coffee: These new ice cubes change the cold coffee game
This new product aims to upgrade your iced coffee
iced coffee cubes

Ahead of National Coffee Day, which takes place on September 29th, Dice Provisions has launched an innovative new iced coffee product that changes the game. The newest product, Dice Coffee Ice Cubes, offers iced coffee in an already-frozen ice cube design, allowing you to enjoy your favorite cup of cold coffee—but a little stronger.

Have you ever ordered an iced coffee or cold brew on the go, only to find it quickly watered down with too much ice? Dice Provisions' Coffee Ice Cubes seeks to change this common annoyance by using craft coffee ice cubes that prevent dilution. Co-founder Gaelan Simpson noted that many consumers love the consistency and flavor of iced coffee but dislike the way traditional ice melts into the drink.
Coffee ice cubes

Read more
McDonald’s is taking on Starbucks with its latest spinoff restaurant – a coffee shop
McDonald's new restaurant also has a silly name
Cos Mcs McDonalds

McDonald's is entering a new game with the opening of their newest spinoff restaurant, CosMc's, which opened on December 7th in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Unlike your typical fast food you'd expect from a McDonald's-inspired menu, CosMc's is intended to be more like a Starbucks, with a coffee-shop-inspired menu with exciting food and beverage options. This Starbucks rival is McDonald's attempt to enter the specialty coffee chain industry without overwhelming its existing menu. After all, if you want a handcrafted coffee beverage, chances are McDonald's isn't the first place that comes to mind. But Starbucks might be.
The opening of CosMc's
While the first CosMc's location was opened in Illinois as a test for the company, McDonald's has already announced its plans to open an additional nine locations by the end of 2024 in Texas. Interestingly enough, the name of CosMc's is inspired by advertisements that aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which featured robot characters named CosMc. To go along with the robot and space vibe, the interior of each CosMc's restaurant is designed with a futuristic space theme --which is a bit different from other coffee chains that are not themed, such as Starbucks or Dunkin'.
Is the menu comparable to Starbucks?
Since the first location of CosMc's opened, patrons have quickly learned what to expect on the menu from this newest addition to the McDonald's universe. Like Starbucks, the menu includes handcrafted and customizable beverages in both coffee and non-coffee varieties. The general beverage categories are quite similar to Starbucks, including frappés, iced tea drinks, lemonades, brews, and more. The customizable aspects of these drinks, which include syrups, flavor shots, and more, seem on par with consumer demands to personalize all aspects of orders.

Unlike Starbucks, however, it appears CosMc's menu is slightly less coffee-heavy and more focused on fruity, refreshing beverages. Some examples of non-coffee menu items include the Blueberry Ginger Boost or the Island Pick-Me-Up Punch. If you do love coffee, there are still plenty of options to be had (both hot and iced), such as a classic Cappuccino or a more unique Churro Cold Brew Frappé.

Read more
Buffalo Trace is Supporting 5 Charities and Giving Away Bottles
The 1982 vintage bourbon from Buffalo Trace up for auction.

One of the nation's foremost bourbon producers is feeling charitable in 2022. Buffalo Trace Distillery, the decorated spirits-maker out of Kentucky, has pledged to donate 2,200 bottles of their work to charity this year. The most notable five bottles went to auction this March, an extremely rare collection of aged bourbon four decades old.

You've probably heard the name Buffalo Trace, whether you like whiskey or not. The label has grown into an iconic player in the American spirits landscape and is now made up of many lauded brands, from the eponymous Buffalo Trace to Eagle Rare, Van Winkle, and W.L. Weller. Some of the best whiskies in the country are turned out by this longstanding giant.

Read more