| Dean Cycon Class of 1975 |
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Fifteen years ago you formed the company Dean's Beans in the belief that the quality of coffee involves not just its taste but also the relationships among its growers, sellers, and roasters and with the environment. Your goal has been nothing less than to harness the powerful engine of business for the purpose of social change. You have helped organize growers cooperatives in villages throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America; encouraged them toward environmentally sustainable practices; and invested in community development projects that lift their families from poverty. As with any business, profits are essential, but these you share with your growers and employees. "I make my living off their coffee," you have said, "not their lives." At the same time, you have pressured giant coffee chains to adopt similar practices in dealing with the second most widely traded commodity in the world. And leave it to a former political science major to look at the mug of coffee in his hand and see, as you have said, that "all the major issues of the twenty-first century—globalization, immigration, women's rights, pollution, indigenous rights and self-determination—are played out in this cup." Something big may indeed be coming, as your book chronicling this effort is already being taught in business schools. In recognition of your distinguished achievement in socially conscious business development, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal. |
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