At www.SaugaWebDesign.com, I try to describe in an easy step by step process, what you need to do to setup a professional looking blog.

Topics will include: choosing and setting up your web hosting, Wordpress setup, Marketing advice, and helpful tips and resources.

I hope that you will visit www.saugawebdesign.com and hopefully you will find it helpful.

Enjoy,
Ian

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Please come back and visit this blog in 2010.

Enjoy

Ian

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The large of the fair trade coffee blend was 40 cents more than that of the non fair trade blends. I had never really thought about it before, but how much more, if any, should you pay for a cup of fair trade coffee over a similar cup of non fair trade coffee?

I was assuming that a pound of fair trade coffee goes for about a dollar or two more than its non fair trade counterpart. I went to several online coffee sites and priced them out and I was approximately right. Keep in mind, this is also retail. I would imagine that the wholesale prices would be slightly less and the differences between them even smaller.

Assuming that you get approximately 24 x 12 oz mugs per pound, that leaves us with the conclusion that for every dollar more per pound a coffee is, it would add about 4 cents per mug.

There’s little likelihood that the fair trade coffee is costing anymore than about 8 cents more to make than the non fair trade coffee. Is the difference going to cafe profits? Is there higher waste (possibly, since the price is so much higher, their sales of it are lower)? Any ideas?

I brought a travel mug in, as I always try to do, and got a discounted price, so it didn’t really register until I left the cafe, but I certainly have a question or two for my next visit.

Enjoy!
Ian

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Oddly enough, probably the most important factor is probably the easiest to change cheaply. A cup of coffee is mainly made from water. If you use a bad tasting, foul smelling water source, well enough said. Filter your water. Better yet double or triple filter it.

Coffee is understandably another important factor. Use fresh fair trade coffee beans. Sealed packages are generally good for months, but once they’ve been opened, try using them in less than a week or so. For those of you that buy already ground coffee, well you will lose the flavor faster than leaving the beans whole as long as you can. Previously ground coffee’s taste will never be as good as grinding your own fresh coffee beans.

In the intro to this piece I mentioned possibly a grinder, ok now we know we need one. Burr grinders (many good ones in the $50-$200 range) are generally better (more consistent grind) than blade grinders (usually less than $30). However, if you have a blade grinder or only want to spend $20 on a grinder, find out the proper fineness that you should be heading towards by asking an experienced barista for some grounds, ground for your type of coffee maker. You can usually find a fair degree of accuracy by just timing a blade grinder. It doesn’t take a lot of practice to get a fineness close to what you are targeting.

As for the coffee maker, many coffee experts rely on a french press. I generally use an automatic drip with a thermal carafe. I personally believe that the most important coffee machine factors are cleanliness and not using a warming tray. You should regularly clean your coffee maker with a vinegar/water solution and rinse. What ever you do, don’t let your coffee sit on a warming tray to burn. I swear by my thermal carafe to keep my coffee warm.

I hope this has been informative. You don’t have to be a barista with thousands of dollars worth of equipment to make a good cup of fair trade coffee. You just need to do a few simple things correctly.

Enjoy!
Ian

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From fairtrademonth.org:

As you can imagine, this has made quite an impact: To date Dunkin’ Donuts has purchased more than 20 million pounds of coffee from small-scale coffee farmers and has paid more than $1.3 million in community development premiums (that’s in addition to the Fair Trade price).  Farmers have used these premiums to build schools, invest in more sustainable farming practices and send their kids to college.

There is also a short story of Leidy Lorena, one of the students who has benefited from Dunkin’ Donuts commitment to Fair Trade Certified espresso. She received an education in schools that fair trade premiums provided and the community is sponsoring her through college. She hopes to become a nurse and work back in her community.

For the complete story please visit fairtrademonth.org.

Enjoy!
Ian

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“Fair Trade has given us the ability to grow coffee the way it should be grown – sustainably, organically and with great concern for quality.  Our families are fed, our children are in school, and now we can tend to the coffee and the environment.” – Luis Adauto de Oliveira

He produces award winning coffee beans, but had to dump them on the regular market, for a minimum return, for mass producers to blend into their house blends. Then in 2003, he became fair trade certified and now has a higher standard of living for both his family and community.

For the complete story please visit fairtrademonth.org.

Enjoy!
Ian

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In 2008, the U.S. imported about 87 million pounds of fair trade coffee. Global imports total about 150 million pounds. Considering Starbucks, the world’s largest bean purchaser, purchases about 380 million pounds of beans a year (of which only 18 million pounds is fair trade certified), that would mean that fair trade coffee globally is less than half the size of Starbucks.

I’m really not sure what to think about that fact. In some regards, its a large portion and getting larger, on the other hand, why shouldn’t it be even bigger than Starbucks?

Globally, fair trade coffee imports increased by 14% from 2007, which is positive considering the economic downturn.

Enjoy!
Ian
(stats from fairtrade.org.uk and fairtrademonth.org)

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Make sure that all of your friends and family members know that it’s Fair Trade Month:

• Post “Happy Fair Trade Month! Learn more at www.fairtrademonth.org” in your Twitter status or Facebook status.

Also:

• Become a fan of Fair Trade Certified on Facebook
• Follow @FairTradeUSA on Twitter
• Add www.Fair-trade-coffee-review.com to your favorites

Check out Fairtrademonth for more information and daily updates in October.

Also, it would be a great idea to all of the above while sipping on your favorite fair trade coffee.

Enjoy!
Ian

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I didn’t realize this until I read an article this morning about Starbucks new instant coffee. Please tell me its similiar to April Fools. I love coffee as much as the next person, but to have a national coffee day is stretching it, but for Starbucks to put out an instant coffee on such an occasion just sends my head spinning.

Please spend your day wisely, visit your favorite coffee place and enjoy a respectably brewed cup of fair trade coffee.

BTW, If anyone out there has the courage to try the new instant coffee, please let us know what its like.

Enjoy!
Ian

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In the coffee growing mountains of Columbia, there is a co-op of 270 farming families called APCO (Asociación Pequeños Caficultores de Ocamonte) that was formed back in 1994. The primary goal of the association is to assist members in improving their quality of life through the commercialization of coffee.

Cooperative Coffees is a roaster-owned (comprised of 22 Canadian and American roasters), coffee importing cooperative that has partnered with APOC and other farming cooperatives like them, in direct, fair trade relationships.

Cooperative Coffees works with individual farmers in APCO to help them achieve fair trade certification. They also buy beans from APCO at 9 cents / pound above the fair trade rate (which also has an additional premium for organic beans). This can work out to about 40 cents per pound premium for their coffee and if a small farmer produces 3000 pound that would work out to $1200 per year.

APCO farmers can then invest that extra money in diversification on their farms, such as raising chickens and cows and producing eggs and milk to sell at the market to earn more income. They can also invest in building and improving schools or healthcare to improve the next generation’s standard of living. Maybe they just invest the money in improvements to their own farm or house to improve production and provide better comforts.

Click the following for more information on Cooperative Coffees or the complete story of their visit to APCO.

All in all, for a few cents a cup, lives can be changed and brighter futures can be realized.

Enjoy!
Ian

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