Fair Trade Coffee

Last updated 2004-06-28 by Roedy Green ©2003-2004 Canadian Mind Products.
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Speakers' Corner

The New VI TV Station here in Victoria lets people record videos for broadcast on any topic they choose. This was my script.

Most people I know, claim it was a good thing slavery was abolished, but believe it or not, some people secretly keep slaves, not here in Canada mind you. Their slaves live in Africa and South America.

They hire people to oversee the slaves. Unlike slaves of old, these slaves don't even get enough to eat.

Just what work do these slaves do? They grow and pick coffee, bean by bean, for $0.65 CAD a pound - a price lower than it was even in the depression days of the 1930s.

Coffee-drinking you are an unwitting slaveowner.

Perhaps you might consider being outrageously generous and paying the grower $1.65 CAD a pound instead of $0.65 CAD .

If you are willing to do that, all you have to do is buy coffee marked as Fair Trade. Ask for it at restaurants and grocery stores. There are many different brands to choose from.

It will set you back $0.02 CAD a cup.

If you ask me, people who knowingly keep slaves to save two cents a cup on coffee are sick.

It's easy. Just say, "I'd like a cup of Fair Trade coffee please."

Lobbying

It is fairly easy to get a company or government office to switch. It does not cost much, and is good for public relations.

Coffee is big business. It is the leading crop traded on the international market. It is the most valuable international commodity next to oil. Volunteering $0.02 CAD a cup extra for Fair Trade coffee makes a tremendous difference to the grower.

Sources

You can buy Bridgehouse Fair Trade coffee retail from Oxfam. Also look for shade-grown coffee. The rainforest canopy is not destroyed which supports the birds and animals. Mass production coffee farms remove the rainforest cover purely for convenience.

We buy Creekmore coffee at the local supermarket. It is roasted here on Vancouver Island in Qualicum Beach. Another great local brand is SaltSpring made on nearby Saltspring Island.

To find out where to get it from a source near you try searching for "fair trade coffee".

The interational fair trade certifying organisation is called FLO. The Canadian fair trade certifying organisation is called Transfair. They maintain lists of certified coffee roasting companies. They audit to make sure the coffee truly is fair trade. They also provide similar certification for fair trade chocolate, tea, sugar, tropical fruits, and soccer balls. There is some phony fair trade stuff out there. If you don't see either of these two certification logos, be suspicious. Most of the world's fair trade certification groups are in the process of converting to the international logo.


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