Madalyn Christian Hannah Covell Starr Esparza Jenna Hilss IDS 2113

We love coffee… Coffee is one of the largest commodities today and millions around the world are dependent on its production. Although the majority of coffee consumption takes place in the US and Europe, most of its production happens in developing countries by small scale farmers. There’s nothing we love more than to stop by Starbucks for a Vanilla Latte on our way to work or school… But do we really know what goes on in order for us to enjoy our lovely cup of coffee every morning?

So, what’s going on? Workers in the production of coffee suffer from low wages and bad working conditions. There have even been reports of slave and child labor on many coffee plantations Case studies have been performed in Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, etc. that all report of the bad working conditions in the coffee production industry and a number of problems have resulted from this booming industry “Both permanent and seasonal workers describe their experiences of long working hours, poor food and deteriorated housing and sanitation infrastructure on farms, lack of access to health and education services, substantial barriers to freedom of association, and in some cases systematic subjection to sexual harassment and other forms of maltreatment or abuse.” (MacDonald)

The Sufferers.. Growing coffee has been the livelihood for many families for generations. Many of these farmers do not know how to do anything else except grow coffee. Millions of people in developing countries are being effected by the coffee crises. The coffee crisis first began in the early 1900’s, and got even worse between 1999 and

The Crisis continued.. This drastic price crash for coffee still effects the lives of producers. “The consequences of the price crash, and the chronic poverty that already existed, remain. In other words, even though prices have recovered, the coffee crisis continues.” (Keating, 27) In Nicaragua there are a lot of producer families that are participants of “organic” and “fair trade” certified coffee. These producers have to submit forms of inspections to the labor standards and environmental practices in order to be given the highest amount of money for their coffee beans.

Video K4-o K4-o Think before your next cup of joe!

Fair Trade Fair trade institutional systems promote social justice and fairness and focus on making democratic decisions. Many companies are claiming now to be “fair trade” but this is more of a trend than a reality. However, we read that fair trade and other ‘sustainable 'coffee movements currently account for less than1% of the total volume of coffee produced globally and support only a minority of farmers.

The Beloved Starbucks.. Supposedly, Starbucks has agreed to start selling a major portion of fair trade coffee in their stores. In 2002 Starbucks bought one million pounds of fairly traded coffee. Starbucks has also helped some of the countries that they work with by building facilities for the workers and their families.

Starbucks: Not Fair Trade??? Words mean nothing, we want proof! While Starbucks claims to be a model corporate citizen, the articles and facts we have found prove to say different. Starbucks buys more than 100 million pounds of coffee every year and less than 1% of that is fair trade. Human rights monitors have TRIED visiting Starbucks locations, but are never able to verify these claims.

Hmm.. We found videos and articles created and written by Starbucks employees that claim that Starbucks is 100% fair trade. We were intrigued by this and asked the employees of the Starbucks that we were in working on this project if they knew if they brewed fair trade coffee and they reported that no information on that could be shared.

Wouldn’t we know? From the information we have gathered, we conclude that Starbucks is not 100% fair trade. If they were, wouldn’t it be advertised in their stores? It would be very noticeable and known by all if this were true. The biggest coffee company in our country makes millions of dollars a year while the small-scale farmers and slaves working to produce the coffee it sells are struggling and majorly underpaid, if paid at all.

Local Coffee Shops Today our local coffee shops are hurting because of big corporations like Starbucks. The local coffee shops support fair trade coffee by offering it and advertising it in their shops as well. Overall your local coffee shops tend to have lower prices than places like Starbucks. You will find that these shops are also a lot less crowded, at almost every Starbucks you will find yourself waiting in a line!

Alternatives to Starbucks There are alternatives to Starbucks that are selling fair trade coffee. Some examples: Green Mountain Coffee Company Peace Coffee Company The Roasterie Coffee Company Equal Exchange Coffee Company Gorilla Coffee Company

What we can do.. We can all make a difference! People of all ages (adults, young adults, teenagers, preteens and even some children) are all coffee drinkers in today’s society, but do they have any idea of what’s going in their cup? Visit local coffee shops in your area, see what they have to offer. Finally, be aware of what your drinking, knowing what’s going on will make you think twice about what your investing in.

Discussion Questions Do you think we as consumers and individuals can really make a difference by buying only fair trade coffee? Is your vanilla latte, or drink of choice, worth the wellbeing of other individuals?