COFFEE-lovers can enjoy a steaming cup of “Bishops Blend” in the knowledge that their new brew is helping to create a fairer financial system for their community.

Bishops Blend is a new Fairtrade coffee blended by Revolver World Coffee on behalf the diocese of Lichfield. For every bag of Bishops Blend sold by the dioceses, 50p will be donated to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Just Finance Foundation (formerly #ToYourCredit), which offers financial advice and support to poorer communities, particularly people struggling with debt.

Bishops Blend was launched at a study day on “God and the Money Lenders” at Lichfield Cathedral on Wednesday. Participants at the event, which was organised by the Foundation and led by the Centre for Theology and Community, were invited to try the coffee for free.

Dioceses are being encouraged to buy Bishops Blend in bulk to distribute to their churches: 20 boxes, each containing six bags of coffee, can be bought for £300 with free delivery, £60 of which will be donated to the Foundation. Participating churches are then free to serve the coffee in cafés, or charge between £3.50 and £4 a bag at their discretion, and keep the profits.

“As a diocese, we work closely with our seven local credit unions, and with the Church Urban Fund, which now hosts the Just Finance Foundation,” the director of transforming communities at Lichfield, the Revd David Primrose, said this week.

Bishops Blend is being supported by the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave, who came up with the name. “We know that many people are caught in a web of poverty,” he wrote in an endorsement printed on each bag. “So, you will not only be enjoying a delicious cup of coffee, you will also be giving practical help to those coping with challenging financial situations whilst living through times of austerity."