Just Coffee

A request came in yesterday's mail from Churches United, our local church coalition, to help sell "fair trade" coffee to benefit their program. For more information look at http://www.churchesunited.net/.


I was reminded again that the second most traded international product, after oil, is coffee! Coffee is an international product that comes from warmer areas of the world - Central and South America, Africa, Sumatra and such. The best coffee is produced by labor intensive methods with hand picking, sorting, drying and packing. With coffee being such an important international product, it is actually pretty significant if people of good will change their buying patterns.


In the last several years there has been a movement to pay higher prices directly to coffee producers, rather than to have them sell to wholesalers at depressed prices. The resulting product is known as "fair trade coffee" because the price paid to producers seems more fair. These coffee growers participate in cooperatives that set high standards and coach the producers on such things as organic production, growing coffee in the shade and growing coffee in a bird friendly way.

Such fair trade coffee is marketed in at least three ways.

Some of the cooperatives market their product directly to consumers over the internet. Just google "just coffee" or "Mut Vitz" to find some of these botique producers.



Many church groups sell coffee at their churches to benefit these small producers. I know that in Rock Island I can buy excellent coffee at Broadway Presbyterian Church and St James Lutheran Church. They sell high quality coffee as a service to their members and as a mission project for the larger church. I bet the product that Churches United is selling is this sort of coffee.


The third way, and the way which to me shows the most promise, is to look for and buy coffee in my local market with the "fair trade" logo on the package. Target has several varieties with their Archer Brands label. I can find a "fair trade" coffee at my local HyVee, but I must look carefully. I can find one kind of Seattle's Best that is "fair trade." The reason that I like the logo option is for convenience. Also, if buyers like our family provide a market for a product it will be supplied. Our family buys no coffee other than "fair trade," and it is good to reinforce our local grocers when they do something right.



"Fair trade" coffee is for the most part excellent, high end coffee. It is a superior product that comes from folks taking pride in producing a product that they make with their own hands.


Another element to buying "fair trade" coffee is that it is a positive step the immigration issue. It is commonly agreed that most people would prefer to live in their home country and with their family if they are able to make a living while doing so. By providing a better price to coffee producers we help make it possible for some Mexicans from Chiapas and some Guatemalans to make a living while remaining at home.



Here are some photos. The Seattle's Best coffee shows the "fair trade" logo as the little black and white seal on the front of the package. The "Caracolillo" coffee produced by Just Coffee was purchased on the internet. Caracolillo means 'little snail' and corresponds with the illustration on the front of the package.