Fair Trade Coffee Jolt for Growers

The New York Times Many coffees that are called "fair trade" are grown without pesticides and minimum impact on the environment. Visit Java Queen International for Fair Trade and Organic Coffee


Published Thursday, October 13, 2005

By Shelley Preston
The Ledger

Morning would not be the same for millions of Americans without that first sip of java. But as much as people relish the jolt of caffeine and smoky taste, few know where those coffee beans came from and who picked them and under what working conditions.

On a recent afternoon as cars lined up at the drive-through at Starbucks on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, supervisor Tim Hoyt explained that as a part of "Fair Trade Awareness Month" anyone ordering a regular cup of coffee this week would get a taste of brewed beans picked by "fairly" paid laborers.

Thanks to grassroots movements and celebrity bands, such as Coldplay, bringing consciousness to consumers, coffee chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts as well as local coffee houses now offer fair trade beans and beverages.

Fair trade means Third World farmers who grew the coffee or other products were paid an internationally set minimum price for their goods. The program enables poor people in Third World countries to be in a better position to compete in international trade without wealthier middlemen eating into profits.

Products can only be deemed "fair trade" if it meets criteria set by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, the global non-profit group that helps set the standards for fair trade and gives credibility to a product's claim as fair trade.

Besides helping the poor get a leg up, many fair trade products are grown without pesticides and farmed with little impact to the environment.

Even with the demand from some consumers to offer fair trade coffee, not all coffee served at Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts fits into that category, so you have to ask for it. Starbucks Cafe Estima, made from a blend of beans from Latin America and East Africa, gives customers a buzz of goodwill without any sacrifice to taste.

"It's very well rounded," says Hoyt of Cafe Estima, "kind of like a Merlot; it tastes good with everything."

Dunkin' Donuts' espresso, lattes and cappuccinos, and most of the regional coffees at Mitchell's Coffee House in downtown Lakeland are also fair trade.

Serious coffee drinkers can take their favorite beverage to another level through coffee buying clubs such as www.thesustainablecoffeeclub.com, where the companies not only get fair trade coffee, but coffee is grown under shade trees that provide a habitat for rain forest birds and in soil free of pesticides and fertilizers.

Shelley Preston can be reached at 863-802-7517 or shelley.preston @theledger.com.

Visit Java Queen InternationalShade Grown, Organic, Fair Trade Coffee Now!