Every other week or so, Anne and I shop at the local cooperative market. Among our purchases is cofee... all kinds of flavors from Kenya, Latin America... We usually shop at the co-op to buy locally grown vegetables, natural foods, and bulk whole grain pastas with a general understanding that because we shopped at here, it was good for our local community, econonmy and our own health. Although I have bought coffee there for a while I have always (I guess) taken for granted the "Fair Trade Certified" labels on the bags. Today I took a look and read the pamphlet.
Coffee is among the most heavily traded commodities in the world, while the members of the small rural communties that produce the coffee beans live in some the poorest countries in the world. Even though these farmers are producing a crop with world-wide appeal, the isolation that comes with the poverty they experience keeps them from fulling grasping the opportunity their skills/product could create.
As explained in Equal Exchange's Fair Trade pamphlet:
Using internationally recognized fair trade standards, Equal Exchange seeks to balance the inequities found in the conventional coffee trade... Through fair trade, it can be a delicious and powerful tool to bring about positive change for small farmers and thier families.
Equal Exchange certfied coffees are available in a range of varieties (inlcuding our favorite, organic coffees). You might consider th following courses of action:
1. Visit Fair Trade Certified's website (Fairtradecertified.org) and decide for yourself.
2. Seek out and give your local cooperative market a try.
3. Have a cup of Fair Trade Certified brew and help insure that those who produce the products you enjoy are being fully compensated for the work they do!
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