During the opening ceremony of the 2008 SCAA in Minneapolis, MN, Bill Fishbein, owner of CRS coffee partner Coffee Exchange and founder of Coffee Kids, made a presentation on the 20^th anniversary of Coffee Kids, an organization which helps coffee-growing families improve the quality of their lives. He made the simple but challenging statement that he loved coffee and wouldn’t want to make his living any other way, but not at any one else’s expense.

The theme of this year’s Specialty Coffee Association of America conference is Roots. And while the Specialty Coffee companies have always prided themselves on the quality of the coffee they serve, this year the conference focused on the fact that without strong roots nothing will thrive. If we aren’t paying attention to the communities in which the coffee itself is rooted in, it’s doesn’t matter how well you roast, package and market the coffee, the entire industry will suffer.

In many ways, the roots of the coffee industry, the coffee farmers themselves, are suffering- from increasing costs of production due to higher petroleum prices, to food insecurity caused by profits that don’t last the year long, and an unpredictable environment from climate change that threatens their coffee crops and the overall coffee supply.

However, the Specialty Coffee Industry recognizes its role as a progressive force and role model for the entire coffee industry. The buzz word for the conference was sustainability. If coffee isn’t a sustainable crop or a part of a sustainable livelihood for farmers, then it isn’t a sustainable industry in the United States. For those of you addicted to that morning cup of coffee, it’s a scary thought. Bill’s statement isn’t just a challenge to the coffee industry to rethink its relationship with farmers, it’s also a challenge for us to consider at who’s expense am I able to have my morning cup of coffee.

So how can we enjoy that morning cup of coffee and know that it didn’t get there at any one else’s expense? Well, if you’ve read this blog before, you know what I’m going to say. Buy your coffee from one of our ‘fully committed to Fair Trade’ partners. Ok, yes that’s true. But, another speaker during the opening ceremony, Michael Shuman, gave me a whole new appreciation for our partners and how they promote economic justice overseas and in their own communities. Shuman is the author of The Small-Mart Revolution and part of his presentation showed how these small companies are a benefit to their local communities. In fact, locally owned companies make up at least 58% of the U. S. economy. They tend to pay their employees better than larger out-of-town firms. They also tend to funnel more money into the local economy by using local services, like lawyers, accountants, and in the case of coffee and cafes, let’s use the example of maybe purchasing milk from a local dairy. They are essential to the health of our communities.

 

CRS Fair Trade partners and allies gather for lunch at SCAA.

 

Within the CRS Fair Trade program, we have 17 coffee partners rooted in their own localities, making decisions that benefit their community in the United States. They also choose to sell only Fair Trade products which have a positive impact in coffee growing communities in many ways, one of which being that coffee cooperatives are democratically run and are able to make decisions in the best interest of their members. It’s like a double shot of subsidiarity! When folks are able to make decisions that have the most benefit for their communities we’re getting much closer to a cup of coffee in your hands that didn’t arrive at anyone’s expense.

The highlight at SCAA was not a presentation, but it was sitting down with all of our partners and allies that were able to attend SCAA at a great, local restaurant for lunch. Jefferson Shriver, our Head of Programs for CRS Nicaragua was in town for the events, as well as a couple special guests- Jitzie, a coffee grower from the La FEM coop in Nicaragua and Esperanza the head of the Pangoa cooperative in Peru. Everyone had great stories about how and why they choose to become involved in Fair Trade, but these aren’t the individuals that are going to transform the coffee industry and strengthen its roots. They’re members of the communities that have already started to.

 

Chris Treter of Higher Grounds Trading Co. and James Curren of Providence Coffee discuss how they became involved in Fair Trade during lunch at SCAA.

 

Two more things:

CRS Fair Trade was happy to help Just Coffee bring Jitzie to SCAA, and La FEM was featured in the most recent CRS Briefing. For more information on La FEM and CRS’ work in Nicaragua, click “I love coffee from La FEM”.

A couple books I left SCAA with that you might be interested in-

Michael Shuman, The Small-Mart Revolution

Christopher Bacon, Stephen Gliessman, and V. Ernesto Mendez, Confronting the Coffee Crisis: Fair Trade, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Ecosystems in Mexico and Latin America

I haven’t read them yet, but if you have, feel free to share your book review.

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Tags: Coffee, fair trade, food crisis, nicaragua, SCAA, Sustainability

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