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 John was raised in the 60's and 70's in Berkley, California, by what he refers to as "very activist" parents. He learned the value of giving through their example with the people in their community and church. Twenty years ago, on the first day of school at Harvard Business School, John met Chris Durnley (who later became John's business partner and co-founder of Pura Vida). After they began their respective careers, John and Chris would reunite every year to compare notes and catch up. John was always struck by the depth, sincerity, passion, and commitment Chris had for the poor and the work he was doing to help people in the coffee growing regions of the world. John related that it was also frustrating to talk with him as he was always struggling for money to support what he wanted to do. Yet these meetings would leave him questioning his contributions to the world. As John was riding the tech boom and doing very well professionally and financially he didn't feel like there was much meaning in his life.
Eight years ago, Chris handed John a bag of coffee out of his backpack as a gift. It was then that a light went off: John recalls the moment, "What if we could create a bag of coffee that helped tell the story of the work Chris was doing in the communities where this product comes from? Then we'd return the proceeds back into community and use the bag as the way to tell the customer what was going on. Chris said, 'we could call it Puri Vada which means pure life.'" From that conversation the company was born. Pura Vida demonstrates this, and, as a result, the hungry are being fed and the naked
are being clothed.
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