FAIR - Blog - Barista Exchange

Heart Of A Roaster/ Farmer

Posted by BaristaOnDutY on April 10, 2011 at 12:28am

Today I Would Like To Celebrate That Same Awareness. The Farmers Still Need Your Support Every Day, To Ensure That The Communities In Which They Live Thrive. They're Not Looking For Handouts, Or HYPE Programs Of Supporting Them. Farmers Look For And Depend On Authentic Connections And Rely On Fair, Even More Than Fair Solutions That Provide Lasting Sustainability. This Allows Them To Feel Proud Of The Products They Produce And Not Look Like The World Is Doing Them A Favor by Buying Their Products. It Really Is Mutuality. Simply Put,We Give Farmers What They Need And They Can Support Their Own Communities. I Will Say On A Side Note,"We The People" Have Our Own Problems In Our Own Communities. It's Hard To Speak Of Awareness And Not Touch Home. Any Reader That Would Like To Make A Difference, And is Unsure Where To Start, I Work With Several Companies And Individuals. It's Really The Small Steps We Take That Matter. Every BODY Chips In.

Anyone Wishing To Read On My Postings A Year Ago Today Feel Free To Read Them. I Would Also Like To Say The Past Is The Past. My Wounds Of The Situations Have Healed, And I'm Still Advocating For Farmers, For Veterans, And For Artists Alike. My Movement Towards Improvement. I Was Hesitant To Repost This Link Due To The Emotions Attached To My Poetry As Well As The Post. I Also Feel It's Fair And Valid For Me To Let My Readers And New Supporters Know Where I Have Been And Where We Are Headed. There Is Much Work To Be Done Everyday.

Today I Would Like To Thank All Of My Supporters, And Basically Give A 1Year Update. Last Year This Time, I Only Owned A PAN, With A Plan. Thanks To All Of Your Support, And A Little Determination. My Roasting Capacity Has Tripled. Keep In Mind, I'm Still A Nano Roaster. I Just Am Able To Provide More Now With A Little Less Manual Labor. One Of My Biggest Issues With PAN Roasting And Its Demands Was Trying To Provide A Product And Be Cost Effective, Which I Addressed In My Last Posting. I'm Still Paying More Than Bigger Roasters, But That's To Be Expected Given My Capacity And Current Clients. On A Health Note, I Have Bursitis In My Shoulder As Well As Neck And Back Injuries Sustained From My Military Service That Naturally Prevent Me From Over Doing It In The PAN. I Do My Best To Not Talk About My Personal Pains Because I Know And Have Seen Others Who Are Less Fortunate. Today It Brings Me Great JOY To Be Able To Thank You All For Everything. As I Said Before, This Is Only The Beginning. BODY Is On The Move, Thanks To You!! I Appreciate Each And Everyone Of You. May GOD Bless And Keep You. Till Next Time Sips Up |_|B

Heart Of A Roaster/ Farmer

Posted by BaristaOnDutY on April 10, 2011 at 12:28am

Visiting coffee friends in Brazil...

Posted by Miguel Zamora on July 13, 2008 at 8:30pm

I recently traveled to Brazil to visit several coffee producer organizations and friends. I went to Poco Fundo and Nova Resende in Southern Minas, to Lajinha in Eastern Minas and to Venda Nova do Imigrante in Espitito Santo (a lovely town founded by Italian immigrants, many of whom arrived to Brazil to work in coffee in the 1800’s).Poco Fundo grows one of my favorite coffees from Brazil. I visited COOPFAM http://www.coopfam.com.br/ and spent time with Luis Adauto, president of the co-op. COOPFAM is a good example of how Fair Trade helps coffee producers around the world. Small-farmers members of Poco Fundo have significantly improved their livelihoods in the last 3 years thanks to the improved prices they are receiving for their coffee (Poco Fundo sells most of its coffee as Fair Trade Certified). COOPFAM invests a good portion of their Fair Trade premium in environmental projects. Several U.S. roasters and importers are part of this successful story that is still being written.In Nova Resende, I visited Coopervitae, a relatively recent coffee co-op formed by small producers and growing in membership every year. Geraldo, from Coopervitae, is one of the nicest persons I have met in Brazil. He is working very hard to improve the livelihoods of small producers in his region and his organization is attracting several new members. I was interviewed in the local radio where I had the chance to talk about Fair Trade and the work we are doing to support small farmers in Nova Resende.In Lajinha, I visited Coocafe, the biggest Fair Trade Certified co-op in Brazil. Fernando, president of Coocafe, has been actively participating in improving the work that we do in the U.S. to promote Fair Trade Certified coffee. He is part of our coffee advisory council formed by around 10 producer representatives from all over the world. Coocafe is investing in training their members in order to improve coffee quality and in technically assisting their members with improved agricultural techniques. In addition, Coocafe is heavily involved in a financial co-op that provides credit to thousands of coffee producers in the region.The trip to Espirito Santo and Eastern Minas was very long. Traveling in Brazil can take forever when moving around coffee regions. In Espirito Santo, there is a producer organization called Pronova, that is doing a remarkable work in improving the quality of the coffee produced in the region in order to improve the lives of hundreds of producers. Since this region is not as high as other coffee regions in Brazil, Pronova members semi-wash their coffees in order to improve the cup characteristics (most of the small coffee farmers I visited in Southern Minas process their coffee using the natural method). Pronova is implementing great projects trying to empower women in the region and to improve coffee quality and the environmental practices of their members. Every year, working with the local government and some industry partners, they implement a quality competition that takes into accounts social and environmental aspects (the coffees and the farms are evaluated not only on the characteristics of the cup but also on how the producers implement a set of environmental standards such as the Fair Trade standards). I have not heard of other competitions like this one but I think it is a great example for other regions. Jackie , Pedro and Evair at Pronova are doing an amazing job to improve the lives of coffee producers in their region.This trip was a great chance to keep learning from several producers about the challenges and opportunities they are facing and to share with some amazing people from one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Interested in the ethical coffee movement? Consider helping me with my research!

Posted by Nicki Cole on September 9, 2008 at 12:39pm

Hello baristas, shop owners, and coffee enthusiasts. Are you interested in or employed in the ethical coffee movement? Do you buy or sell fair trade, direct trade, or otherwise socially responsible coffee? If so, consider helping me with my research on the ethical coffee market (fair trade, organic, direct trade, socially responsible, etc).I'm a graduate student in sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I'm researching the production, sale, and consumption of ethical coffee. I am interviewing consumers and those in the industry across the nation about why they buy it, how it is perceived as different from conventional coffee, and in what ways such choices affect coffee farmers.If you are affiliated with an ethical coffee serving establishment, consider posting a flyer for me to recruit consumers.If you are a consumer of ethical coffee and are willing to be interviewed, please drop me a line at nickilcole@umail.ucsb.edu, and you can also view my website www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~nickilcole/current%20research.htmlI'll be in the following locations in the fall, and would love to interview people in person when possible, but welcome phone interviews too.Seattle: October 5 through 18Portland, OR: October 20 through November 2San Francisco/Bay: November 3 through 16Please be in touch for more information!Peace,Nicki

Fair Trade Paper - cuz you asked

Posted by Noelle on March 13, 2008 at 11:58am

Here is my paper... because apparently there were some who wanted to read it. I want to say that because of the class requirements, the draft is pretty superficial, but all the sources that I used were sooooo good and in-depth. Anyway, hope you learn something :)Fair Trade 1Running Head: FAIR TRADEFair Trade: The RevolutionNoelle ConnollyEastern Washington UniversityMarch 2008Fair Trade 2As a revolution, the fairtrade movement is not typical. Although spurred by inequality, this movement was not initialized by the poor, frustrated laborer, but by the wealthier, socially-conscious activists in northern countries. The fairtrade movement is a revolution in a very different sense of the word. As a non-violent movement, it does not seek to ‘overthrow’ the powerful and exploitative Multi-national Corporations (MNC’s), or destroy the capitalist global economy. Instead, it strives to change the behavior of buyers and sellers in order to bring social equality to the marginalized small-scale laborers of the Southern hemisphere.The first phases of fairtrade developed in charity organizations and church groups as a movement which sought to challenge the traditional concepts of production and consumption (Low, Davenport, 2005). They promoted all forms of products, from furniture to handicrafts. Agricultural products were only a small part of the bigger picture. The fair trade movement as we know it began in the mid-20th century, when non-profit importers partnered with southern hemisphere farmers, forming non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) called Alternative Trade Organizations (ATO’s). Focusing initially on coffee and agricultural production, these organizations sought to create a better profit opportunity for small-scale farmers by avoiding the middle-man in across-border trade, who usually received most of the profit as the product transitioned between producer and buyer (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations, 2006). Over the years, ATO’s grew, and the small movement finally began to gather speed. Eventually, A Dutch ATO introduced a fair trade label, which they named Max Havelaar, after a character in a book about Dutch colonialist exploitation. This label provided a “way to increase sales without compromising consumer trust in Fairtrade products and in their origins” (FLO, 2006). The idea spread to other organizations, and umbrella groups began to form, such as IFAT, NEWS!, EFTA,Fair Trade 3Transfair USA, the Fair Trade Federation, and the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO), which set standards and regulate certifications and which are recognized and respected globally.The movement could not have been set in motion at a better time. Many factors contributed to a situation ripe for change and the development of fair trade organizations. As economic institutions such as the IMF and World Bank began to focus on developing free, capitalist economies in developing countries, complicated social problems began to arise. Subsistence farmers found themselves unable to compete on the oversupplied global market (Low, Davenport, 2005). Awareness of the inequality proliferated by liberalization policies had mobilized large numbers of social organizations. However, this injustice gave way to “important new movements striving to create a more socially…sustainable society” (Raynolds, 2000: 298). Through the World Wide Web and other media outlets, organizations appealed to the moral sensitivity of the Northern hemisphere. These organization began “to create new networks of exchange that escape the bonds of simple price competition” by condensing the space between the human producer and the priced commodity, forcing the consumer to take into account the ethical question of why their products are so cheap (as cited in Moore, 2004: 81). An increasing awareness of the wealth disparity between the global North and global South thus played a role in creating an obliging consumer market for fairtrade products. By using all aspects of the market, including retailers, producers, and consumers, the fairtrade movement has been classified as working “in and against the market” (Raynolds, 2000). Fairtrade does not attempt to destroy the capitalist system that may have created the social inequality in the first place. Instead, it endeavors to challenge and change the system, to force it to consider social and ecological consequences of low labor costs. This peaceful revolution is characterized by the emphasis onFair Trade 4social justice and an effort not to overthrow the capitalist system, but instead work in it, and manipulating norms of the market in order to achieve social parity, especially for those currently exploited by the system.The goal of the movement is to challenge the traditional, price-driven market, and “re-embed commodity circuits with ecological and social relations” (Raynolds, 2000). But the drivers of this movement are not the poor, exploited farmers who are at the center of the cause; the FLO website describes the movement as a “partnership between non-profit importers, retailers, and small-scale producers” (FLO, 2006). Unlike most revolutions and civil movements, fairtrade was not spurred by mistreated people, but by socially-minded buyers. In this case, it would be implausible for the marginalized to unite and revolt against the market. The likelihood of all exploited persons to have the ability or motivation to do this is miniscule. If only the people of one country was able to achieve such unity, the ‘race to the bottom’ has assured that there are other regions ready and willing to facilitate the displaced MNC’s. Instead, because the wealthier companies of the North hold more power in setting prices and determining wages, they were the only ones who would have been successful in instigating change. In Geoff Moore’s analysis of the industry structure of the fairtrade movement, the emphasis placed on the role of ATO’s (all of northern origin) and “conventional organizations, typically supermarkets” (2004: 76) shows how reliant the movement is on such bodies. Undoubtedly, it would be impossible to progress the movement without the powerful voice of these importers, retailers, and thus making them the stimulators of the movement.The efforts of the NGO’s have been reciprocated with an increase in fairtrade sales. Total gross sales of all North American fairtrade organizations increased by 48% from 2002 to 2003Fair Trade 5(as cited in Wilkinson, 2006), and continue to increase at an exponential rate. Coffee has become one of the most prominent fairtrade industries. Fairtrade specialty coffee shares in the industry from 2000 to 2006 grew from .6% to 4.3% (Wilkinson, 2006: 227). However, although the change is dramatic, it is still only a fraction of the global sales, and the numbers are even lower in non-coffee markets. Another challenge the movement faces is educating the consumer. Creating a socially aware customer is imperative to the success of fairtrade, as the foundation of the movement is a social justice issue. By using “campaigns (fair trade coffee on campus, fair trade towns, fair trade weeks, etc) [the movement] promotes political campaigns and advocacy to ‘make trade fair’ in international forums” (Wilkinson, 2006). These campaigns target the already existing politically and ethically minded consumer, and also create more consumers like them. The sub-movement of ethical consumerism can be quite appealing, especially to Northerners who believe in the power of individuality (as cited in Low, Davenport, 2005, p. 495). While contributing to the growth of an economy, the individual consumer can feel that they are making a difference and “promoting positive social change” (Low, Davenport, 2005) in the world by choosing fairtrade goods. Fairtrade was born from people naturally inclined towards the ideas of social justice, such as religious groups, leftist political groups, and others attracted to 3rd world equality. (Low, Davenport, 2005).The goal here is to mainstream these ideals to be naturally a part of the international market. One prominent concern of any consumer has always been the quality of the product. As Moore notes, “Fair Trade products are often in direct competition with branded products and so need to be of sufficient quality to compete” (2004: 78). Achieving a high quality product is very important to lending credibility to the movement. Marketers use this knowledge in theirFair Trade 6strategies. Sometimes, they champion the “quality of their product, and use the fair-trade label as an additional marketing tool” (Low, Davenport, 2005). This suggests a second challenge of the movement, mainstreaming the fairtrade product. The above method creates division in the movement because it focuses simply on selling the product and many fear they may lose the message in the process (Low, Davenport, 2005). They believe the “collective focus” of the movement will be lost as the individual attempts to “solve global problems” (Low, Davenport, 2005: 496). However, most fairtrade organizations are pushing to mainstream fairtrade market practices and products with consumers and retailers. Mainstreaming of the fairtrade movement and products is imperative to its success, as it must work within a market driven by competition. As discussed above, the fairtrade movement works in the market, not against it. Not reaching out to a broad clientele would detract from the movement’s effectiveness.The responses of governments around the world have been positive and supportive. One main issue of government agendas has recently been poverty alleviation. As noted in Wilkinson,The fair trade movement, therefore, despite its still marginal relevance for globaltrade flows, finds itself at the heart of the central political issue of the day for nationalgovernments, global institutions and corporate players alike – if trade is the road togrowth and poverty reduction what are the rules which should govern trading practicesand the trading system? (p. 18)These rules are being set by the ATO’s, and global institutions are paying attention to their rallying cries. Since fairtrade is the perfect avenue to address social concerns without idealistically denying the power of the market, governments who promote free trade and MNC’s who are motivated by profit are able to participate in the movement, relatively ncompromisingly.Fair Trade 7Multinational corporations are also an important actor in the movement toward socially equitable market practices. Coffee has been the most available fairtrade product, as proved in its ubiquity in large retail chains such as Starbucks, Safeway, some convenience stores and even Wal-Mart, the notoriously unfair retail store (Raynolds, 2002). As proved above, fairtrade products still only account for a fraction of sales in North America and Europe, the fact is that the demand is increasing at an impressive rate, and MNC’s are seizing a growing opportunity to reach a socially conscious consumer base. Some consumers who may have previously avoided such MNC’s because of their participation in exploiting a poor, foreign labor force are now able to relieve their conscience and shop at such stores. It is arguable whether the movement benefits from the participation of MNC’s. Although these agencies may have their own agendas, the mainstreaming of fairtrade ideals in general has undeniable benefits. As the increase in fairtrade sales has shown, the positive results may outweigh the negative consequences of marketing a diluted message that the everyday consumer might not fully understand.The end result of this fight for social justice has still to be seen. Hopefully, there will not be an end, but the movement will continue to progress until all aspects of trade are fair and the market operates as much on the principle of fairtrade as it does on supply and demand. Until then, proponents of the movement will have to be satisfied with rapidly increasing fairtrade product sales, growing awareness of the issues fairtrade addresses, and a widespread acceptance and approval of fairtrade as a positive social revolution.Fair Trade 8ReferencesLow, William, Eileen Davenport. (December 2005). Has the Medium (Roast) Become theMessage? The Ethics of Marketing Fair Trade in the Mainstream. InternationalMarketing Review. Retrieved March 6, 2008 from www.emeraldinsight.com/0265- 1335.htm.Fairtrade Labelling Organisations. (2006). About Fair Trade. Retrieved March 6, 2008 fromhttp://www.fairtrade.net/about_fairtrade.html.Raynolds, Laura. (February 6, 2000). Re-embedding Global Agriculture: The InternationalOrganic and Fair Trade Movements. Agriculture and Human Values. Retrieved March 6, 2008 from http://0-proquest.umi.com.libsys.ewu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=501065081&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName= PQD&TS=1205444214&clientId=5545.Moore, Geoff. (2004). The Fair Trade Movement: Parameters, Issues, and Research.Journal of Business Ethics. Retrieved March 6, 2008 from http://0-proquest.umi.com.libsys.ewu.edu/pqdweb?index=17&did=707261381&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=6&Vin st=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1205444618&clientId=5545Wilkinson, John. (2007). Fair Trade: Dynamics and Dilemmas of a Market Oriented Global Social Movement. Journal of Consumer Policy. Retrieved March 6, 2008 from http://0- proquest.umi.com.libsys.ewu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=1311050941&SrchMode=1&si d=8&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=120544478 1&clientId=5545Raynolds, Laura. (2002). Poverty Alleviation Through Participation in Fair Trade CoffeeNetworks: Existing Research and Critical Issues. Prepared for Project Funded by theCommunity and Resource Development Program, The Ford Foundation, New York

Coffee Farmers who are Landmine Victims!

Posted by Swapna on March 5, 2008 at 4:44am

Major coffee producing regions of the world have also been the sites of bitter conflict, including Columbia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Laos, Uganda, Angola and Ethiopia. Tragically, areas with the heaviest concentrations of landmine use and the best coffee producing regions frequently overlap.One of the best places to grow high quality coffee is in the mountains, the same areas that in times of war are strategically significant as borders between territories, or as strongholds for opposing forces. Landmines are a particularly effective weapon in steep terrain where movement is limited to mountain passes and trails that traverse agricultural areas – the same areas where coffee farmers live and work.For example, take Colombia. Colombian coffee farms covers 800,000 hectares of cultivated land, and the Colombian coffee industry supports 500,000 farmers. Guerilla and paramilitary groups intentionally use landmines to displace citizens by mining villages and farms and then mining houses and roads to prevent their return. While landmines are a persistent problem throughout Colombia, they are particularly concentrated in the mountainous coffee areas. 23% of Colombia’s mine related incidents have occurred in Antioquia, the heart of Colombia’s coffee growing region.The Universal Impact of Landmines in the Coffeelands:good land often goes uncultivatedcoffee trees in mined areas go unpickedmined roads cannot be used to transport good to marketpeople lose their homes and farmspeople live in constant fear of stepping on a landminelandmine survivors and their families spend the rest of their lives dealing with the physical and emotional impact of landmine injuriesagronomists who help farmers improve their crops and means of production are fearful of going into areas that are minedI think this is an important issue that is very pertinent to this website and its members. We should help these people. I know probably everyone on this website already drinks fair trade coffee. One other way to that is to get involved in the Coffeelands Landmine Victims Trust, who provide microgrants, mobility aids, and emergency services to this coffee farming victims. Please visit their website and help today: http://coffeelandstrust.org

FAIR (6)

Heart Of A Roaster/ Farmer

Heart Of A Roaster/ Farmer

Visiting coffee friends in Brazil...

Interested in the ethical coffee movement? Consider helping me with my research!

Fair Trade Paper - cuz you asked

Coffee Farmers who are Landmine Victims!

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