Fair Trade and Us

Some days that cup of coffee is really good. I drink it every day, but the odd time its great flavor hits me. These are the times I stop everything to take a moment to savor the coffee’s rich body and aroma. What a luxurious choice I can make over a single cup of coffee.

We of North America live in paradise, we inadvertently set the demand and supply of our consumables, without realizing the consequences we put into motion by enjoying our single cup of coffee.

I’m sure we all see ourselves as good people and are quick to offer empathy and compassion, but do we take it beyond our inner thoughts and table talk? Can we associate the production of coffee with our enjoyment of it? Does our demand

• Encourage acceptance of poor pay and working conditions?
• Divide the people by increasing the distance between those who have and those who don't?
• Help plantation owners to cut corners and not be accountable?
  

Consequences are not always visible, but they will affect us eventually through price and availability. There are lots of factors working between the bean and the cup of coffee, but we can make a difference one cup at a time by supporting the efforts of Fair Trade.

If we all start to demand the Fair Trade stamp of approval on our cups of coffee, we’ll be advising suppliers we’re not prepared to support the poor conditions surrounding the production of coffee.

I believe we need to be responsible, for the consequences of our choices, by making ourselves aware of how Fair Trade works and how we can support it through our spending.

Get informed by checking these websites. Let's help to make the shoe fit better.

• Fair Trade Association
• Canadian Fair Trade
• American Fair Trade