The Big Swap: Coffee
February 22, 2010 @ 11:25 AM
This entry kicks off our Big Swap series with coffee. The Big Swap is a simple idea: for the next two weeks, swap out something you buy regularly for the Fair Trade alternative. Coffee, chocolate, cutting boards, bananas, and more. Learn more.
The Broken System
The coffee industry is marked by cheating, abuse, and even slavery. As usual, the worst effects are felt by those most vulnerable: the farmers. Taken advantage of at every turn, with no access to markets except through the “coyotes” that pay below-market prices, these farmers reap so little of the benefits their hard work deserves. In fact, the average coffee grower receives about $0.02 from a $3 latte here in America. This desperation breeds child slavery, abuse of the planet, and a wholly unsustainable future for growers.
Fair Trade coffee means that your morning cup o joe guarantees a better future for coffee farmers and their families. Take our certified organic “Peace Blend”, for example. It’s grown by a group of farmers who’ve paired Fair Trade with religious reconciliation. The Co-op, made up of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian farmers from Uganda, now earn 4 times what they previously received through non-Fair Trade channels. The icing on the cake: it tastes fantastic. Let’s see: tastes great, better for farmers, better for the planet. Seems like a no-brainer to us.
Now What?
We want to hear what you’re Swapping, why you’re Swapping, where you’re Swapping, we want to know! So share your swapping story in the comments section of this post.