Canadian Pop Country Meets Haitian Coffee Farming

The worlds of pop country music and specialty coffee production are colliding in the upcoming Just As I Am tour from Canadian country star Paul Brandt.

“The most awarded male country artist in Canadian history” is donating tour proceeds to his Build it Forward Foundation, a faith-based group devoted to helping the poor in developing countries. Brandt’s 19-stop tour, running May 15 through June 7, includes the “I Am Haiti Bound” contest, in which fans can enter to win a 5-to-7-day community development trip with Brandt to a Haitian coffee farm.

Haiti’s Cafe Xaraugua, founded by Robert Lehnert, is benefitting from the promotion. “We share a common desire to help make lives better in Haiti, building the community one step at a time in a fair and sustainable manner,” Lehnert says of his relationship with Brandt.

Says Brandt, “My volunteer experiences abroad have been some of the most profound moments of my life, and I wanted to share the opportunity with a fan to help make a difference.”

Fans can enter the contest in two ways:

1) Take a photo of themselves in front of the “I AM HAITI BOUND” banner at any of Paul’s concerts during the Just As I Am tour. Upload the photo to the contest page at www.facebook.com/PaulBrandtOfficial and also explain why they should be Haiti Bound.

2) Fans can take a photo of themselves with a bag of “Build It Forward” labeled Xaragua Coffee from one of their retail locations (www.cafexaragua.com/stores.html). Upload the photo to the contest page at www.facebook.com/PaulBrandtOfficial and also explain why they should be Haiti Bound.

The contest will run from May 1 – June 30, 2013. For complete rules and regulations, please visit the contest site on Facebook. The promotion is available to Canadian citizens only.

Here is one of Brandt’s most recent music videos, “You:”