Fair Trade Coffee
There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty - the most terrible of sufferings. Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all. (Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12)
Background
America is the wealthiest nation in the world. Yet the World Bank estimates that nearly three billion people around the world survive on less than two dollars a day and 1.3 billion people live on less than one dollar a day (an amount less than what one might spend on a cup of coffee has to cover food, clothing, shelter).
The industrialized world, particularly the U.S., consumes resources disproportionately to our population. And many of the products that we use on a daily basis and consider central to our daily routine, such as coffee, are produced by someone in another part of the world. Often, the poverty of those who produce these goods is caught up in our consumption.
The notion that each of us plays a daily role in changing the world can be a source of intimidation or strength. There are now emerging alternatives to our system of production and consumption. As Oxfam International, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating global poverty, argues in its Make Trade Fair campaign, “World trade could be a powerful force for poverty reduction. Many poor people could work themselves out of poverty by selling their products to rich countries at a decent price.” We can play a part in this through consumer advocacy.
Coffee is the second most valuable commodity in the world market after oil. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of coffee and Americans today drink one-fifth of the world’s beans.
But few Americans realize that coffee farmers, who live largely in Latin America, Asia and Africa often toil in "sweatshops in the fields.” More than 25 million farmers and coffee workers in over 50 countries rely on coffee sales for their livelihood. In July of 2002, the Wall Street Journal reported that, “In lush coffee-growing regions from Central America to Africa, the collapse of world coffee prices is contributing to societal meltdowns affecting an estimated 125 million people, [resulting in] a combustible brew of unemployment, hunger and migration.”
Since 2000, world coffee market prices have continued to drop steadily and today have reached their lowest point in real terms in history. As a result, coffee farmers are now receiving as little as $0.20 per pound for their crops --about 1/3 of the actual cost of production. Many farmers have been forced to sell their harvest for as little as 60% of the cost of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. With no income from their only cash crop, farmers do not have enough money to buy food to feed their families or pay for education and health care.Because their families cannot afford to send them to school, many children instead have to work in the fields. Other farmers are giving up their land completely and migrating toward cities in search of work. It has even led farmers to look for more lucrative opportunities cultivating drugs in Colombia and Peru. In addition to the devastating effects on farmers and their families, coffee farming can lead to severe environmental problems including pesticide pollution, deforestation, and the extinction of animals through habitat destruction.
One response to the devastation caused by traditional coffee farming practices has been a growing demand for “Fair Trade” coffee made without exploitative labor. Fair Trade Coffee is a real solution for some of these farmers. Fair Trade certification ensures coffee farmers are paid a decent, living wage for their harvest; encourages democratically organized farming cooperatives; provides access to affordable credit, which help farmers stay out of debt; and promotes sustainable practices, such as organic farming, which helps protect the environment.
In the United States, TransFair USA is the certifying organization for Fair Trade products. In order to receive fair trade certification, importers must pay $1.26 per pound of coffee, regardless of the volatile market price; provide much needed credit at low rates to farmers; and provide technical assistance, such as transitioning to organic farming. These fair payments are invested in education, health care, environmental stewardship, and economic independence, helping more than 500,000 farmers in 20 countries.
In addition to directly improving the lives of coffee farmers and their families, Fair Trade coffee is often grown using more environmentally friendly methods than regular coffee. Over the years, high-yield coffee production has led to deforestation, increased pesticide use, decreasing bio-diversity, and erosion. Erosion can cause devastating landslides and flooding during weather emergencies such as Hurricane Mitch, which killed thousands in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras in 1998.
Since 1999, more than 80% of the Fair Trade Certified coffee sold in the U.S. has also been certified organic and “shade grown.” Shade-grown coffee is exactly what it says. Instead of clearing the forest, farmers plant the crop among the forest plants, thus saving the local ecosystem. Shade trees furnish habitats for birds, and the Atlanta Audubon Society has found that 90% fewer species are found in sun-grown coffee areas. Shade trees also protect coffee plants from harsh elements, and the birds that are attracted provide natural pest control, which reduces the need for synthetic pesticides. These shaded farms also protect topsoil from erosion by heavy rains and wind.
In an age of increasing economic disparity between rich and poor, both locally and globally, it is easy to feel powerless to make a difference. By choosing to spend a few cents more on Fair Trade certified coffee, we support a living wage for farmers, increased educational opportunities for rural children, and improved environmental standards. Fair Trade coffee, which can be caffeinated, de-caffeinated and flavored, is growing in popularity in the United States.
Fair Trade Means:
FAIR WAGES >Fair trade guarantees small farmers and artisans prices that exceed their production costs. This increased income allows them to feed their families, stay out of debt and keep their land.
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS >Many children's rights are violated when families are forced to choose between sending a child to work or to school. Fair trade increases family income, helping families better afford education and health care for their children.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS >Fair trade cooperatives must demonstrate that women have equal rights and responsibilities. They are required to document how many women are members of the cooperative, how many hold leadership roles, and how many own or co-own land.
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS >Fair trade promotes organic farming which is better for the environment, and encourages chemical-free farming, composting, crop rotation and other beneficial practices. Nearly 85 percent of Fair Trade Coffee sold in the U.S. is certified organic.
Advocacy
What You Can Do
Supporting Fair Trade coffee is an act of consumer advocacy and social justice. It happens when people ask store-owners to stock Fair Trade products, purchase Fair Trade Certified products themselves, and educate friends, family, and even the general community about what Fair Trade is, and why it is important to purchase certified products.
The easiest way to get involved in consumer advocacy for Fair Trade Products is by joining a national campaign to encourage more coffee shops to highlight and serve Fair Trade Coffee. It can take as little as a 30 second conversation with a store manager to convince them to serve Fair Trade Coffee in their store. The most important part of ‘Café Hopping’ – as it has become known – is to be courteous and encouraging. Many managers have never heard of Fair Trade, and don’t know about the issues facing coffee farmers. When ‘café hopping’, first look around to see if the store has any Fair Trade Certified products. If they don’t, wait until there is a lull in business and ask to speak to the manager. In your conversation, you should ask them if they know about Fair Trade Certified coffee, and if they don’t, give them a brief summary. If they do know about it, let them know that you would be very interested in purchasing it from them.
Consumer advocacy is slowly making an impact. On October 4, 2000, Starbucks -the world’s largest specialty coffee chain – introduced whole bean Fair Trade certified coffee at over 2,300 stores, bringing the number of Fair Trade outlets to more than 10,000 nationwide. Fair Trade activists are now urging Starbucks to not merely stock fairly traded coffees but to actually promote them. In August 2001, the Seattle Coffee Co. joined the Fair Trade movement, agreeing to sell Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified coffee in about 1,400 Safeway stores throughout the United States. In November 2004, Starbucks agreed to ensure that coffee sold in its stores comes from environmentally friendly farms paying workers a fair wage. By 2007, Starbucks expects that 60 percent of its coffee will come from farmers following strict rules on everything from forestation to pesticides to labor practices and will work with Oxfam to make this happen.
How Do I Get More Involved? Learn more about this issue! Check the websites listed below to hear the latest news on fair trade, and other issues of consumer activism.
Make an effort to buy fair trade, green, conflict-free, and sweat free items. Buy used/recycled goods. Use less. Many of the listed resources offer further suggestions for consumer advocacy. You are voting for the kinds of companies and business practices you would like to see succeed.
Reach out. Educate your synagogue. There is always room for help and new ideas. Organize a program with the youth group, religious school, etc; write an op/ed in the synagogue bulletin; write letters and call your congregational president urging him or her to serve fair trade coffee at all programs. Talk to your temple administrator and your social action committee about purchasing only Fair Trade Coffee for synagogue office use and events.
- Fair Trade and Jewish Text – hold a discussion with your Hebrew school class
- Hold Your Own Day of Action – Click here for ideas from Oxfam
- Ask for Fair Trade: Fill out a customer comment card at your grocery store and ask for Fair Trade products. Even if your store carries some products, ask them to do more! You can also write a letter to your supermarket. Oxfam America has more resources available to help you with your efforts. You can also use our Sample Letter for Super Market Managers on Fair Trade products.
Contact Albertsons and its subsidiaries at albertsonscustomercare@albertsons.com
Contact The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) and its subsidiaries at apcustomerrel@aptea.com
Contact Safeway and its subsidiaries at business.ethics@safeway.com
Contact K-Mart and its subsidiaries by filling out the form found here.
Contact Wal-Mart and its subsidiaries by filling out the form found here.
Contact Win Dixie and its subsidiaries by filling out the form found here.
Where to Purchase Fair Trade Coffee
Locate A Store Near You
National Brands:
Green Mountain Coffee (all)
Newman's Own Organics Fair Trade Coffee
Starbucks (only their Fair Trade Blend)
Dunkin' Donuts (their new line of espresso drinks are made exclusively with Fair Trade Coffee)
In addition, each of these companies sells exclusively Fair Trade Coffee:
Equal Exchange - Equal Exchange has extensive experience working with congregations, and sells Fair Trade Coffee in traditional 1 and 5 lb bags as well as coffee specially ground and packaged for 12 cup commercial brewers and for larger percolators common in congregations. Also available: Fair Trade Hot Cocoa & Tea.
www.equalexchange.com or 774.776.7366
Café Campesino - Café Campesino sells Fair Trade Coffee from around the world in a variety of different grinds appropriate for auto-drip and for percolators. Also available: a variety of Organic Teas and Chai.
www.cafecampesino.com or 888.532.4728
Dean's Beans - Dean's Beans sells exclusively Kosher Organic Fair Trade Coffees. They have a variety of flavors available, in 1 and 5 lb bags. Also available: Organic Hot Cocoa and Chai Tea.
www.deansbeans.com or 978.544.2002
Peace Coffee - Peace Coffee sells Fair Trade Coffee from Mexico and Guatemala. They have a number of different coffees in 1 and 5 lb bags.
www.peacecoffee.com or 1.888.324.7872
Other websites where you can purchase fair trade goods:
- Fair Trade products are becoming increasingly available nationwide and companies often offer fair trade certified products along with their regular merchandise. Make sure to look for the Fair Trade logo.
Jewish Values and Fair Trade
Jewish teaching emphasizes that all human beings are made in the image of God and that we have an obligation to protect our earth. As Jews we learn that the highest level of tzedakah is for a person to assist those in need to become self-sufficient (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah 10:7-14). A commitment by our community to ensure that our consumer habits do not hinder economic advancement for others around the globe is one aspect of what this means.
Judaism places strong emphasis on the rights of workers. “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and sets his life on it; else he will cry to God against you and you will incur guilt” (Deuteronomy 21:12-15). “In disputes between employees and workers, the rights of the worker were given preference over those of the employer” (Baba Metzia 77a). In purchasing and drinking coffee and other foods, we should keep in mind the others who have labored in the production of these goods.
"Do not let him slip down until he falls completely, for then it will be difficult to raise him; rather strengthen him as he begins to fall. To what is this comparable? To a burden upon a donkey: while it is still on the donkey, one person can hold it and set it in place; if it falls to the earth, even five people cannot set it back" (Rashi).
Positions of the Reform Jewish Movement
The Reform Movement has a history of standing up for social justice around the world, fighting to end global poverty, human rights abuses, and environmental destruction. The Union for Reform Judaism’s Commission on Social Action passed a resolution to promote the consumption of fair trade coffee in 2002and the Union has passed multiple resolutions to curb environmental destruction, and to tackle global poverty. We ask that all congregations, Union offices, and individuals strive to purchase and serve fair trade coffee and provide educational materials on the benefits of this practice. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has committed to purchasing Fair Trade Coffee for office use, and is currently working to offer Fair Trade Coffee exclusively at our future events.
Publications
Equal Exchange Fair Trade Synagogue Coffee Program
Hunger No More Program
Pesach: A season for Justice
To Learn More
To learn more, contact Legislative Assistant Micaela Hellman-Tincher or visit the following websites:
Last Updated December 13, 2005
