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 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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