After spending nearly 2 decades working in the coffee industry, I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by so much passion and energy in this growing market. 

I established The Allegra Foundation in 2011 as a way for the coffee industry to come together and give back to the communities which grow our coffee. 

We are now demanding increasingly better quality and higher quantities of coffee and I believe it's vital that we look after those communities that produce our morning cup and in many cases do not have access to one of the most basic human rights - clean water. 

Since starting The Allegra Foundation, I am proud that we have been able to reach over 21,000 people in coffee communities with clean drinking water - but we still have a lot more work to do if we want to make sure everyone in the coffee growing world has access to this precious resource.

Kamal is the founding partner of Coffee Pilgrims, a consulting company that aims to work with organisations in the coffee industry, assist the teams in clarifying, developing and optimising their potential.

Having travelled extensively in sub-saharan Africa after having spent part of his childhood in North Africa, Kamal appreciates the value of clean water.

‘I am passionate about providing people from all over the world with the opportunity to grow and prosper at all levels of life. And, it all begins with the basics- having access to water, food, education and an encouraging environment within which one can find his/her identity, and benefit from the blessing that life can offer.’

Jessica is most well-known for leading Gail's Bakery to define good coffee in the hearts and minds of neighbourhoods around the UK as well as win an award or two!

She is passionate about building culture, creating experiences for consumers and building opportunities for personal development. She fundamentally believes that specialty coffee can serve as a vehicle for driving both local and global change, especially at scale.

I am the co-founder and creative director of Caravan Restaurants and Caravan Coffee Roasters; as such I am responsible for the business and brand development of both businesses, and work closely with the teams to constantly grow and evolve the brands. 

One of our key objectives at Caravan Coffee Roasters is to ensure our coffee beans come from quality driven, sustainable and ethical sources. 

Project Waterfall is a brilliant initiative that is focused on improving the lives of individuals and communities in coffee growing regions, something that is also hugely important to us at Caravan Coffee Roasters. I am very proud to be on the Project Waterfall board of trustees and look forward to working with the team to raise awareness and essential funds to help create a better life for coffee growers and their communities. 

As managing director of UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, I believe in the principle of giving something back to the industry.  We’ve grown to become the UK’s leading total coffee solution supplier and with that growth comes responsibility.

We’re committed to supporting the people who grow our coffee. Being a trustee of the Allegra Foundation and Project Waterfall helps me to deliver on that commitment, by working to provide clean water to coffee farmers and their families.

It’s something we take for granted here in the UK. We turn on the tap and don’t have to think about fresh, safe drinking water or sanitation. At the same time some of the world’s poorest people don’t have that luxury.  

And I’m delighted that in addition to my work as a trustee we’ve created a charitable partnership with our Lyons’ brand. We’ve committed to donate money from every pack sold with the aim of raising £100,000. This will help deliver fresh, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene the communities need.

Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood is a champion barista who has competed in the World Barista Championship and has won the UK Barista Championship three times. He is co-owner of an award-winning independent roastery and coffee shop.

Having travelled the world studying the science and art of coffee, Maxwell co-authored Water For Coffee with Dr. Christopher H. Hendon of MIT, a study on the chemical interactions between water and coffee, and how they can be manipulated to create a higher-quality cup. He frequently works with coffee experts around the world throughout various parts of the coffee chain to develop new and better technology for the enjoyment of coffee.

Maxwell is passionate about water quality both for coffee flavour and as an essential resource for coffee growing communities.

Being Sales and Marketing Director at Lavazza Coffee (UK) I rely on coffee for my livlihood and I'll always be grateful to The Allegra Foundation for making me think about the people in the growing areas whose hard work makes my life so comfortable.

I have learned that although we take clean, safe, water for granted 663 million people around the world do not share this luxury and (even more shocking) 840,000 of them die each year from water related diseases.

I regard my small role in Project Waterfall as an opportunity for me to improve the living standards for some of the people in coffee growing areas who make my job possible.

I spend my days looking into other people business and thinking what might improve them.

Every afternoon, I reach a point where I need human interaction and a reboot - I drink coffee and some water.

Easy for me – not so easy for the people at the other end of the coffee chain.

Project Waterfall enables us coffee drinkers put something back and maybe improve the business of coffee whilst we are at it. By setting this small example, trying to help those less able, hopefully I can inspire people around me - and even my kids - to do better.