Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Ethical Coffee Debate in Vienna

On October 9, 2009, I had the opportunity to participate in a debate looking at the future of ethical coffee sourcing at the European Coffee Symposium in Vienna, Austria, which brought together more than 450 influential leaders from the coffee sector to talk coffee.

I shared a panel with representatives from several certifying agencies, including Utz Certified, Fairtrade Foundation, and Rainforest Alliance. A lively discussion ensued after Peter Grffiths presented the topic, “Why Fair Trade Isn’t Fair,” and I think the audience learned a great deal about the need for multiple solutions to this complicated global problem and ways to confront poverty at coffee’s origin.

Our message continues to be that there is no such thing as sustainable coffee. Sustainability is about people and community. Healthy communities produce quality coffee. Healthy communities happen when livelihood issues – such as healthcare, education and sufficient income – are properly addressed. Trade is one way to address issues of income and confront the many issues farmer’s face, but it is not the only way. It is critical that we all work together – certifying agencies, other nonprofits, development organizations, donors and consumers – to confront poverty at origin.

08-09_ck_annrpt.pdf (PDF; XX KB)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Deepening Fair Trade

Coffee Kids was invited to participate on a panel at the Ross Net Impact Conference, “Markets with a Mission,” at the University of Michigan on October 15-16.

The discussion, “Deepening Fair Trade: Efforts in Coffee-farming Communities to Improve the Lives of Farmers and Their Families,” reviewed approaches to creating more sustainable communities in the coffee lands. Along with Kyle Freund of Coffee Kids, the panel members were Cate Baril of Transfair and Lubna Nabi of Root Capital (who couldn’t attend due to flight problems). Ted London of the William Davidson Institute at the university served as the panel moderator.

The panel discussed life in coffee-farming communities and the associated problems, including poverty and hunger issues. The panel recognized that the majority of coffee-farming families cannot survive from coffee income alone and no one approach will address the full breadth of the problem.

Fair Trade came about to ensure a more sustainable base price for coffee to help families withstand market volatility. It also gives consumers the option to become part of the solution. Root Capital plays an important role in the Fair Trade network by providing farmers and cooperatives with access to low-interest credit so they can benefit from Fair Trade prices. Root Capital has also introduced a program to provide financing for purchasing land.

But even with Fair Trade and other price premiums, coffee is not enough. Fair Trade will always be a segment of overall trade in coffee and given the small parcels managed by many farmers, work must be done to create economically viable communities and reduce dependence on coffee for income. Coffee Kids works with local organizations in coffee-farming communities to address these problems and create alternatives to coffee.

The presentation drove home the fact that no one approach will answer all of the needs of coffee-farming families. But by supporting a variety of alternatives, coffee companies and coffee-farming families can work together to ensure a healthier future.

Visiting Friends in Ann Arbor

While in Ann Arbor for the Ross Net Impact Conference at the University of Michigan, I visited a few Coffee Kids friends.

The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses is a family of small food related companies in the Ann Arbor area. Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and run the business. I met with Allan Liebowitz and Steve Mangigian, managing partners of Zingerman’s Coffee – great guys who showed enthusiasm and interest in helping Coffee Kids.

Stephan Iscoe of Big City Coffee recently signed on as a Coffee Kids business member with his online coffee company. He was gracious and generous with his marketing ideas, interested in Coffee Kids’ efforts and concerned about life in coffee-farming communities. Thanks much, Stephan!

My next stop was at Mighty Good Coffee in downtown Ann Arbor, where I met with David Myers and Barista Matt Roney, sampled a fine Kenyan Peaberry, and discussed our work. David created Mighty Good Coffee Roasters three years ago recently expanded to a retail operation. They ‘twittered’ their followers to stop in the following morning for a fundraiser for Coffee Kids.

Thanks to all for the support and meeting up!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Voice from the Field: Jose (Chepe) Xalix Morales

We arrived at Chepe’s house at 6:55 p.m. just as the sun was beginning to set. He welcomed us and offered us seats while fiddling with the knobs on his radio.

Chepe, 29, is a proud participant in a Coffee Kids-supported literacy and education program managed by the Association for the Sustainable Development of Paraxaj (ADESPA) near the town of Acatenango, Guatemala. Coffee Kids has worked with ADESPA since 2006 to support quality of life initiatives in and around Paraxaj.

Chepe’s wife placed a small lantern on the table alongside a set of well-worn pens and a workbook. She said that Chepe and their son go through a lot of pens doing their homework together.

This year, ADESPA began offering radio-based education to adults in the communities they serve. Students listen to listen to ½ hour lessons five days a week and meet with a teacher once a week to clarify doubts and take tests.

“I really like this system of learning by radio because it works with my schedule,” Chepe said. “I learned basic reading and writing when I was a child, but only had two years of school. I had to leave my studies because the school was too far away and my family was very poor. We all had to work to survive.”

Chepe was born on Finca Santa Felisa in Paraxaj and still lives there in a humble one-room home with his family. By 7 a.m. each day, Chepe is at work in the coffee fields of the finca. After work, he spends time tending to his small parcel of corn and cares for his cow before evening classes begin.

“My wife was able to finish her primary schooling when she was a child and she’s very surprised,” Chepe said. “She says that I know more than her and I’m just barely at the fourth grade level.”

See photos from our latest visit in Guatemala on our Flickr page!