Portland State Magazine Spring 2012

able Harvest, a specialty coffee importer since 1997, with headquarters in Portland's Pearl District. When the already-profitable company embarked on a new path co develop iPad apps chat deliver training and education co coffee growers out in cl1e fields, Cooper and her team helped troubleshoot the plans. Afcer a successful pilot program in Tanzania, she pressed the company co ensure that the apps would be available for public purchase by April, when the Specialty Coffee Association ofAmerica would meet in Porcland. "le was one of our quarterly SII meetings with Cindy that really lit che fire for us to push and put ic out there in time for the meeting, and co map out the seeps that would gee us there," says Debra Rosenthal , director of technology development at Sustainable Harvest. SUSTAI NAB LE HARVEST, a veteran of social entrepreneurship, and My Street Grocery, a newbie in the field, benefit from II membership in distinct ways. For EcoZoom, a young but fast-growing company, SII provides valuable contacts, increased visibility and a crucial sounding board as ic expands into more countries and markets. In its first year, EcoZoom has turned a $40,000 investment into $1.4 million in sales, says Amanda West, who co-founded che company with Ben West and others. So far, they have distributed 50,0000 cookscoves in the developing world, from Mexico co Haiti co Uganda. Noc only are mey cleaner and safer chan cradicional cookscoves and release fewer greenhouse pollucancs, mey burn fuel more efficiencly, which reduces the hours each day mac women and children muse search for wood, often in dangerous conditions. "The stoves themselves are cheir own social and environmental mission," Amanda West says. Each week, Cooper receives mree co five emails from companies interested in SIL Tuition ranges from $350 for a six-monm program to $1,200 for rhe yearlong option. She is eager co recruit more volunteer mentors-from all busi– ness backgrounds-co strengthen che SII network. "We measure our success by clients' success at creating me change chey wane co see in che world," she says. "We're still really young, and I chink there's so much potential." ■ Shelby Oppel Wood, a Portlandfreelance writer, contributed the story "How's Work?" in the Fall 2011 Porcland Scare Magazine. Sign up for the PSU Social Innovation Incubator newsletter or Facebook at www.pdx.edu/impactentrepreneurs. To learn more about the program or support its efforts, contact Director Cindy Cooper at cynthia.cooper@pdx.edu. Ci'lii:HH GROCERY Opposire page: Bringing training to coffee growers around the world through an iPad app was an attainable goal for Sustainable Harvest with some coaching from the PSU Social Innovation Incubator. Top left ~nd nghr: EcoZoom is making a profit as it expands distribution of its clean-burning cookstoves in developing countries with advice from the PSU Social Innovation Incubator. Borrom: New mobile grocery company, My Street Grocery, was connected to free branding and marketing services through PSU's Social Innovation Incubator. SPRING 2012 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE 13