On Drinking Coffee and Trading Fairly

Saturday night my husband and I attended the symphony with two other couples from work. Now, we are moderately civilized people, but by intermission we felt that we had had enough culture, so we decided to hit up Water Street Coffee (my favorite coffee place in Kalamazoo). I was nearly out of coffee at home so it was perfect timing. While perusing the coffee selection, I stumbled across one bag marked "Direct Trade, Wild Grown." The back label reads as follows:






"Grown in the Boquete region of Panama by Michigan native Justin Boudeman on his permaculture farm, Hacienda Fennario, this Wild Grown coffee is richly delicious, with subtle dried fruit and berry acidity, dark chocolate, and smooth sweetness. We imported an extremely limited quantity; the cream of the crop. As before, we are the only roaster/retailer in the world privileged enough to offer this divine coffee."

So I ask the girl behind the counter if this coffee is as divine as the package suggests. She assures me it is (and I'm sure she would never dream of lying to me!), so I buy a bag. I typically drink Fair Trade coffee and find the increase in price to be more than justified by better quality and flavor, but this is Direct Trade... more on that later.

First, let me tell you, it was divine. Granted, I'm not any sort of coffee connoisseur and I can't necessarily pick out "dried fruit and berry acidity," but I can tell you... it was GOOD! Ask me about wine, I can speak a bit more intelligently about flavor pallet in that beverage.

Anyway, I check out ethicalcoffee.net and sure enough, Direct Trade is just what it sounds like: retailers buy the coffee directly from the growers. The pros? The buyer-seller relationship is personal, no middle man so buyers pay a bit less and growers make a bit more, buyers have some input regarding human labor practices (if the buyer is concerned with that). The cons? Well, Direct Trade relationships work similar to CSA's with local farmers, that is, the honor system. Last summer I purchased a share from a local farmer who assured me her veggies were organic. Did I drive to her place and request a soil sample? (what would you think of me if the answer was yes?). No, I did not. I trusted her, just as buyers must trust their producers in a direct trade agreement.



So why the big fuss over Fair Trade? Take five minutes and read through the "Fair Trade" link on ethicalcoffee.net and you'll understand. Here are a few highlights:

• FT coffee is grown organically and farmers must follow sustainability and environmental guidelines regarding preservation of trees, waste water disposal, and soil erosion.


• FT growers are working under a predetermined and fair wage per pound.


• FT growers follow strict child labor laws, allowing children of growers to attend school.

In addition to fair trade coffee, you can also choose from (who knew?):

• Bird Friendly: growers who maintain at least 40% of natural canopy shade (crucial habitat area for birds and other critters) and must include a minimum of 12 different species of trees per 2.5 acre of farmland.


• Rainforest Alliance: similar to Fair Trade only without the strict labor laws. My criticism of RA coffee is that a company can market their coffee as RA if at least 30% of the bag meets RA requirements - so the remaining 70% is anyone's guess.


• Organic Coffee: just like it sounds - no chemicals or additives


• Carbon-Neutral: Ok this one confused me just as Carbon Credits always have. Basically, carbon (pollution) is produced when trees are cut down, plants are harvested and product is shipped. More pollution is created when product is processed, shipped, packaged, shipped, and purchased, then shipped. Carbon-neutral companies are attempting to offset their pollution (or minimize to zero). That's all I got. I have an English degree for crying out loud. Want to know more? Ask a science teacher!


• Shade Coffee: Similar to those listed above, must be grown under 40% natural canopy.

Who knew there were so many choices? Oh, and we mustn't forget about Kopi Luwak - the ridiculously expensive coffee that celebrities drink that is made from coffee beans found in the droppings of the luwak - a half mongoose, half cat-like creature. Interested? You can buy some here.

So why does all of this matter? Perhaps because Americans spend billions of dollars on coffee and I, for one, am not comfortable exploiting the health and livelihoods of others simply for a morning pick-me-up. In addition, buying coffee from retailers and growers who value their product and the earth that allows them to grow their product gets at a more fundamental issue. Will we demand quality? fairness? sustainability? Or will be continue to be cogs in a wheel of consumerism, buying only what Walmart has on sale? If nothing else, we should demand quality. The Europeans understand this general snobbishness about what goes into their mouth, but America is interested in getting the most calories for the buck, even if that means corn-fed, hormone-laden, overcooked beef, served on a bun made of high fructose corn syrup and topped with "processed cheese product." I only have access to so many products in my small town, but I am determined to choose wholesome, sustainable ones when at all possible.