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OXALIS’ strategy extends beyond business to encompass the support of charities and provide sponsorship, concentrating on projects which are in some way connected to the company or its product range instead of well-known and widely publicised ones.
For example, we collaborate with the SMS organisation that helps young people with multiple sclerosis. It has been proven that drinking green tea is beneficial for sufferers, and a percentage of green tea sales by OXALIS is donated to this worthy cause every year.
Our most recent endeavour is again closely connected with the tea and coffee trade. We have been cooperating with The Café on Wheels - a project devised by the Tichý svět company. It is a scaled-down version of the “Tichá cukrána” (Silent Café) staffed by deaf people, which was the first venture of its type to commence in the country back in 2011. Apart from showcasing the skills of its staff in the demanding sector of hospitality, the café also serves as a place for training and gives students and graduates of vocational colleges a step-up in their chosen profession.
The Café on Wheels is able to go virtually anywhere and sells excellent coffee, as well as cakes made at the Silent Café. It is a frequent sight at festivals across the country and other events.
Locally, OXALIS contributes to the Czech Red Cross, specifically the Zlín branch (in a neighbouring city), amateur dramatics groups in nearby Hvozdná and Slušovice, organisers of a folk tradition to celebrate Lent in Zlín and other activities for the public. A notable example was two years of sponsorship and promotional cooperation with the International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Zlín, which has been a fixture of the local calendar for over six decades.
We have started to donate funds at Christmas time to worthy causes. Instead of giving seasonal gifts to key business partners, they are asked to choose a charity from a selection on an OXALIS webpage. Through such efforts money has been passed on to Nadační fond Klíček (Key Endowment Fund), which helps ill people, Helppes, a professional non-profit that provides social services in the Czech Republic, and Médecins Sans Frontières, an organisation which provides medical and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by war, natural disasters or epidemics.
Our past cooperation with SOS Children's Villages was interesting. Youngsters in its care drew original pictures for us, and the 3 best ones were selected and featured on mugs sold by OXALIS, with part of the proceeds going to the charity.
Other support in the past has been given to Nepálčata, an association that provided education and medical care to children from India and Nepal, important countries of supply in the tea business.
