crowdsourcing products

[Joe]

I've been thinking about how it might work to crowdsource things. For example, if a bunch of people agreed to buy some coffee beans, we could go to Africa, buy the beans, take it to a roaster, pack it and ship it back. We could ensure that the farmer got a good price because there were few other costs - effectively connecting consumers much more directly with the producers.

Or to put it another way, think Kiva without a financial return - instead of money, you hopefully get the product.

OK I've not explained that well...