Kenco Coffee Project Helps Honduras

Kenco coffee is launching an innovative new multimedia caign through JWT London to raise awareness of its Coffee vs Gangs pilot project in Honduras.

Honduras produces some of the world’s best coffee but is also home to many dangerous gangs. The Coffee vs Gangs project will target 20 young people who are at a crossroads in their life and at risk of entering a gang, creating opportunities for them to choose a positive future through education and training. This will in turn enable them to be coffee entrepreneurs and enjoy a sustainable future.

By supporting the young people with the skills and support they need to become successful entrepreneurs, Kenco is hoping to help develop the next generation of coffee growers.

“This is an extremely exciting and potentially life-changing project on which we are embarking," says Emad Nadim, brand manager, Kenco. "The advert [above] has a completely new look and feel to what people are used to from Kenco, but it embodies the seriousness of life in Honduras."

The commercial tells the story of life in Honduras through a mix of live action and animation via the medium of tattoos, the central representation of gang culture in Central America. We see a young man on the brink of becoming involved in violent gang activity but, as the story unfolds, his path changes thanks to the Coffee vs Gangs project.

Directed by RSA's Johnny Hardstaff with post courtesy of Absolute and Blind Pig, most of the actors were street-cast in order to ensure authenticity. The main character is from Anonos - the town in which the advert was filmed - and had no acting experience prior to filming.

"I strongly believe this Kenco ad pushes the boundaries of coffee advertising and brand transparency, above the norm of smiling people holding steaming cups of coffee,” concludes Nadim.

All Coffee Vs Gangs content will be hosted on a purpose-built digital hub.