Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Extra, Extra
Early Addition
How much thought do you give to the origins of your daily dose of java? Not the origin of the purchase (mega-chain vs. local joint), but the origin of the beans themselves. And not just country of origin, but the labor and trade practices of the growers and workers who got those beans to you, no matter where they end up. Many of us don't think about this, but the owners of Vox Pop, a coffeeshop in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, proudly trumpet the fair trade origins or their coffee varieties, and the customers are rolling in.
But what does fair trade mean, exactly? The New York Times explains: "In general, the fair trade label means that farmers of crops like coffee or cocoa in the third world, or workers who stitch T-shirts in factories abroad, are paid fairly. The label is intended as a guide for socially conscious consumers in rich countries when buying goods that originate primarily in Latin America, Asia and Africa." Vox Pop and others like Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope aim to raise the consumer's awareness of the trade practices behind the cup. The fair trade movement is gaining popularity, with fair trade businesses growing exponentially. With each cup of coffee, the customer feels that he or she is contributing to better trade practices. So the next time you grab that cup of joe, find out a little more about it.
Vox Pop
1022 Cortelyou Rd.
Brooklyn
718-940-2084
Gorilla Coffee
97 5th Ave.
Brooklyn
718-230-3243
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all this ditmas park coverage is giving me the heeby jeebies.
any mention about 'grounded' coffeehouse in the west village? they have been doing the fair trade deal for years now.
actually, the fair trade label on coffee is much more specific and problematic than simply "paying the farmers fairly." how do you objectively determine "fair pay" to begin with? but the label itself is kind of a racket, and also means that the farmers work in a collective, that naturally, isn't run by the actual farmers, and the individual farm owners themselves are not allowed to hire seasonal labor for some reason that escapes me at the moment. it, like, "sustainable", and "organic" is a label that is placed there to assuage upper middle class guilt at their own largess. which is kind of weird because you pay more for it.
will -
there are certainly problems with the "Fair Trade" certification process -- as you mention, farmers have to guarantee a certain level of production, and so smaller farmers have to organize in co-ops to make sure they meet that commitment.
having said that, the bottom line is that Fair Trade coffee pays more to farmers than the vast majority of non-certified coffee, so who the hell cares whether or it truly exists only to "assuage upper middle class guilt."
Fair Trade is far from perfect and should be seen as a minimum, not the ideal.
What about ....
Smooch
264 Carlton Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205 !!!!!!????????!!!!!
Coffee is the working mans version of crack in a cup !
JL, demanding how coffee farmers organize their businesses doesn't really seem that fair to me. and is there any real evidence that people who grow fair trade beans end up any wealthier than the people who don't?
re: will April 23, 2007 10:35 AM
Will, a few things...
1. The price guanteed to the prodcuer for a commodity is only one aspect of the fair trade system; don't overlook the other aspects of fair trade relationships, including the pre-financing at low interest rates to cover the cost of the harvest.
2. The Fair Trade Certification process requires that coffee producers organize as a cooperative, not a collective as you inaccurately state. The administration of these cooperatives are elected by the member-owners/growers of the coop and are, in fact, often coffee producers.
and...
re: Posted by: will April 23, 2007 2:37 PM
Besides have been privy to hearing directly from fair trade coffee producers that they financially benefit from the Fair Trade system, I have also seen the community projects (medical clinics, water wells, stocked pharmacies, etc) paid for producer cooperatives using the money recieved as their fair Trade social premium.