Diary of a Coffee Connoisseurs Conscience

Anyone that knows Tim & I knows that we hold a special place in our hearts for good coffee. When we met we did and do still spend many hours talking over cups of coffee. We also got engaged at our favorite coffeehouse Broadway Cafe in Westport. But as we started to drink more and become more aware of where our food came from we became interested in the fair trade movement.
The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world's coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as "sweatshops in the fields." Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt.
Fair Trade is a viable solution to this crisis, assuring consumers that the coffee we drink was purchased under fair conditions. To become Fair Trade certified, an importer must meet stringent international criteria; paying a minimum price per pound of $1.26, providing much needed credit to farmers, and providing technical assistance such as help transitioning to organic farming. Fair Trade for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, and environmental stewardship.
We all have the opportunity to "vote with our dollar" but we all lead busy lives, and we want to do the right thing, but we're busy. What if we could make a positive impact just with the purchases we make every day? And not have to go out of our way to do this? That's the compelling proposition of Fair Trade. If you'd like more information on Fair Trade and where to buy not only fair trade coffee but other things like chocolate go to http://transfairusa.org/ and for household goods please visit a ten thousand villages in your area or on line http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/.

"We must build a new world, a far better world -- one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected." -- Harry S. Truman