One OSU alumnus has made a unique donation to his alma mater. He has donated $35,000 worth of coffee beans to OSU.
Paul Sterling, who holds three degrees from OSU, farms Kona coffee in Hawaii with his wife, also a graduate of OSU. In the winter of 2005 he began donating Dr. Paulo’s Kona Coffee & Macadamia Nut Farms coffee beans to be served at The Ranchers Club, OSU’s upscale dining facility in the Atherton Hotel.
He began by sending 50 pounds per month, as it is crucial for the gourmet coffee not to all be sent at once, he explained. His gift now totals 1,500 pounds of coffee beans.
Richard Ghiselli, director of the school of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, said the gift gives students an opportunity to learn about more than only serving a high-end food or beverage.
“It also is a great way for them to see the hospitality industry extend beyond bricks and mortar,” Ghiselli said.
Sterling said that Kona coffee represents his ties to the earth and now he shares that with his other love, OSU.
Sterling was encouraged by visitors from OSU in 2005 to donate.
“That’s how it began, our interest in OSU,” he said.
“There is no better example of tradition than an OSU alumni giving back to their alma mater,” Ghiselli said about Sterling’s gift. “We are grateful that he sees the importance of our program and The Ranchers Club to share his coffee with us.”
Sterling moved to Hawaii in 1970 and began farming Kona coffee in 1999. It began with one small farm that has now grown into 10 farms of coffee and macadamia trees on Hawaii’s west coast. The coffee beans, known as Kona typica arabica, are delicate and require great care during harvesting. According to http://drpauloskonacoffee.com, Hawaii’s climate creates the purest environment in the world for growing coffee.
“This unique gift of high quality coffee supports the goal of Ranchers Club which is to give customers food and service with quality, style and sophistication, based on a rich heritage and tradition,” Ghiselli said.
His unusual donation was a way for him to give something rare to The Ranchers Club that everyone can appreciate.
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