last night, a group of ten Three Rivers folks headed to Grand Rapids to attend the third annual Cup of Justice conference sponsored by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. it was a fantastic opportunity. we heard from one of the founders of the only 100% fair trade coffee roaster in Michigan and he translated for two coffee farmers from Chiapas, Mexico.
as indigenous Mayans, Jose and Macario shared their story of struggling for a livelihood amid violent oppression. many people from their communities were wiped out in a massacre in 1997, but as these farmers are able to sustain themselves by growing a traditional crop using organic means, they are overcoming a system that seeks to quietly destroy them. here are some of the numbers:
- $.41-the price per pound of organic coffee at the height of the market glut in 2001 (even while businesses like Starbucks were booming)
- $1.00-the price per pound needed for a coffee farmer to break even
- $1.26-the guaranteed price per pound for fair trade coffee
- $1.41-the guaranteed price per pound for organic fair trade coffee
some would say that guaranteeing a (sometimes) artifically inflated price for coffee beans interferes with the natural fluctuation of the market and does harm in the longrun because it's not sustainable. however, in hearing the stories of the real people who suffer when the market dips, i'm left with the question, "Is there any justifiable excuse for Christians to purchase anything but fair trade coffee?" it's a question i'll be considering for a more extended piece that will appear in the "Odd One Out" issue of catapult on November 19.
our housemate, Jeff, made an interesting connection on the way home. the night before, we all attended a potluck for our CSA group. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new concept whereby people in both urban and rural communities pay in advance for a weekly share of a local farmer's produce during the growing season. so we pay $250 (or so) in February for a half share, head out to our church every Wednesday in the following summer and early fall, and receive a box overflowing with fresh, organic produce personally delivered by Farmer Dale. anyway, at the potluck, Farmer Dale had the opportunity to thank, face-to-face, the people who make his livelihood possible, just like the coffee farmers last night had the opportunity to thank fair trade coffee drinkers in person for choosing to stand with them in solidarity. it all gives me a sense of "the way things should be"...and perhaps the way things WILL be.
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