Hugh Jackman Wants To Change The World, But Not With His Movies

Hugh Jackman is a big movie star, but he wants to change the world, not with his very popular films, but with a business that not many know about.

The Australian action hero, best known for his role as the Wolverine in the X-Men movies, is not only very popular with his fans because of his good looks and amazing personality, he is also a savvy businessman. Not many people realize Hugh Jackman is a coffee shop owner.

His fans know him as a devoted family man and husband to Deborra-Lee Furness. In 2009, the couple visited Ethiopia after he was named ambassador for World Vision Australia, where he met a coffee worker named Dukale. The young man worked hard to provide for his family.

Jackman and his wife realized the importance of fair trade coffee to the local communities and how it affects the environment. But the most important thing the actor realized is how much buying their coffee can change lives all over the world.

When Hugh Jackman went to Ethiopia, he never imagined he would end up creating a new business. His brand is called Laughing Man Coffee & Tea, and the documentary film Dukale’s Dream, which explores the unconventional friendship between the Hollywood A-lister and a humble coffee farmer, and how Jackman’s visit to Ethiopia changed the way he buys and drinks java.

“By the end, we had this whole fairy tale ending of seeing Dukale’s name on a brand with a massive national coffee seller,” Jackman said excitedly.

According to the Huffington Post, a new partnership between Hugh Jackman’s company and Keurig, will allow him to reach even more customers in Ethiopia. This will allow Dukale’s brand to grow.

Hugh Jackman talked about how buying fair trade coffee can help farmers such as his good friend Dukale.

“Buying fair trade to non is the difference to a grower having pride, having the ability to send their kids to school and making sure they’re going to be eating three times a day or not.”

“I always think about where my coffee is coming from: Who’s the grower? What’s that grower’s situation? What’s the community like? Keurig is the number one buyer of fair trade coffee in America and they have programs in every one of the communities that we work with. That should give people a huge amount of confidence and security when you buy their coffee. It does make a big difference. It’s not just the nice thing to do, it changes lives.”

So the next time you buy coffee, think about Hugh Jackman and his efforts to reward fair trade farmers such as Dukale.

[Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images]